On June 6th, Somali FIFA referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was named Africa’s best male referee in 2025, was denied entry into the United States and deported back to Somalia right before the start of the 2026 World Cup due to alleged associations with suspected terrorist organizations.
He was stopped at Miami International Airport, had his visa revoked due to the allegations, and was questioned by immigration officials. This means that it will not be possible for Artan to enter this year’s 2026 World Cup.
According to CNN, Somalia is one of the 39 nations affected by the Trump administration’s travel ban.
Artan was not the only one being inspected by immigration officials, as Iraq’s team was questioned at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport but was sent through a moment later.
FIFA is unable to intervene, as FIFA is not involved in host-country immigration processes. FIFA President Gianni Infantino exclaimed, “It’s unfortunate what happened to Omar, the referee from Somalia. But again, we don’t control everything. We tried. Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just, you know, chill, relax.”
As seen on Facebook and Instagram, this ended up sparking global outrage and strong criticism of U.S. immigration policies.
From all of this, Artan did respond, saying, “Despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood, and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career. I would like to thank FIFA and CAF for all their messages and wish my colleagues the best of success during the World Cup, and I look forward to joining them again in future competitions.”
He has since been appointed to officiate the UEFA Super Cup taking place on August 12 and is also receiving full financial compensation from FIFA.
