The Trump administration said Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan had been denied entry to the country because of links to “suspected members of terror organisations” making him a “national security threat”.
Artan, who was Africa’s referee of the year in 2025, had been set to become Somalia’s first official at a World Cup but was refused entry to the US by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the weekend. Fifa stated Artan would now not be able to officiate at the tournament, which begins this week and is co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.
The US, which has imposed sweeping travel bans on 12 countries including Somalia under Trump, said on Tuesday that Artan had been deemed a threat to national security by CBP officials.
The CBP said in a statement that a Somali national – not identified as Artan – arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday and was deemed inadmissible due to vetting concerns.
An administration official, speaking anonymously, told reporters: “Upon further inspection by CBP, derogatory information, including association with suspected members of terror organizations, was discovered.
“President Trump’s administration will not allow any security threat to enter our country, full stop.”
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott was unrepentant, saying on Tuesday that travellers are regularly denied entry to the United States because they are not eligible for entry or pose a threat.
“I don’t really care what you do for a living. The law is still the law,” Scott told a Washington event hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates less immigration. “If you don’t meet the qualifications to come into the country, we’re not letting you in just because we want you to referee a game.”
Artan revealed he had been subjected to an 11-hour immigration interview before being denied entry and told the New York Times: “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.”
Somalia’s government said it had unsuccessfully tried to negotiate with the US and Fifa so that Artan – who was issued with a valid visa – could enter the country and had not received an official explanation for why he had been denied.
The sports ministry said: “His international achievements are a source of honour and pride for the Somali people.”
Fifa has come under fire for its lack of authority over the situation. A spokesperson said the organisation “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”.
Several members of Iranian staff have also been denied entry, while Iraq striker Aymen Hussein endured hours of questioning on his arrival in Chicago, and the Senegal and Uzbekistan teams went through heavy security checks in-country.
Additional reporting by Reuters
