A Somali referee due to take part in the World Cup has been denied entry to the United States after an 11-hour immigration interview – despite having the right visa.
Omar Abdulkadir Artan, 34, had his travel facilitated by the Somali Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, who said they had granted him a diplomatic passport to help with visa-related issues.
He travelled from Kenya and transited through Turkey to Miami, before being sent back from Miami International Airport.
‘I am very, very disappointed,’ Mr Artan told The New York Times on Tuesday. ‘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.’
Mr Artan added: ‘I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa.’
Mr Artan claims he was questioned for 11 hours before he was finally placed on a return flight to Istanbul.
He added: ‘I would like to thank Fifa and the Confederation of African Football for all their support, and I promise to keep my refereeing levels up as I concentrate on the future.’
Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s ministry of youth and sports, said: ‘Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community.
Omar Abdulkadir Artan, 34, a top Somali referee, was denied entry to the US after an 11-hour immigration interview
Somalis hold pictures of Artan, who had been expected to officiate matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup but was refused entry to the United States, during a match in Somalia on Tuesday
President Trump pictured with the President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, last July. In January, Trump called Somalia ‘the worst country in the world’
‘Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football’s commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play.’
Somalia features on President Donald Trump’s travel ban list and last month he said of Somali immigrants in America: ‘They’re all crooks.’
In January he called the nation ‘the worst country in the world’.
Fifa confirmed 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’.
The association added: ‘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… A host government ultimately determines who receives a visa’.
The United States has refused to issue visas to some members of Iran’s staff for the World Cup.
Iran players landed in Mexico at the weekend and the entire squad were pictured disembarking from their plane with pins on their clothing bearing the number 168, a reference to the number of people killed by what was believed to be a US missile in February.
Last week Iraqi World Cup star Aymen Hussein was held and questioned for almost seven hours after arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
He was eventually allowed to enter, along with the rest of the Iraq squad, but the team’s photographer was barred from entering the country.
