The Trump administration has confirmed that a Somali referee, selected to officiate at the World Cup, was refused entry into the United States amid alleged terrorism concerns. Omar Abdulkadir Artan, widely considered Africa's finest referee, was subsequently stripped from FIFA's list for the tournament after American authorities turned him away at Miami International Airport.
The 34-year-old was put on a return flight to Turkey, where he had been travelling through from Kenya. Speaking to the New York Times, Artan described himself as "very disappointed" by the ruling. "I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa," Artan added.
Administration Justifies Decision
The Trump administration has since moved to justify its decision to refuse Artan entry into the country. "This individual was seeking admission to the United States," a statement from an administration official said. "Upon further inspection by CBP, derogatory information, including association with suspected members of terror organizations, was discovered, making the traveler ineligible for admission to the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)."
The official statement follows US Customs and Border Protection disclosing vetting concerns regarding the football referee. "The traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of C.B.P.'s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility," they said. "Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry."
FIFA's Response
The development comes after FIFA had expressed confidence that Artan's situation would be resolved and that he would take charge of matches at the World Cup, which kicks off on Thursday with Mexico facing South Africa. On Monday, FIFA issued a statement confirming that Artan would play no part in the summer tournament. "FIFA can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States," they said. "FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr. Artan's status will not be changed at present."
For Artan, officiating at the World Cup represented a lifelong ambition — one that has now been cruelly dashed. "I am very, very disappointed. I'm just simply a referee who's trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup," he told the NYT.
