A Somali referee has been dropped from the World Cup list after being denied entry to the United States and sent on a flight back to Turkey upon arrival at Miami International Airport.
Omar Abdulkadir Artan, 34, had his travel facilitated by the Somali Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, which said they had granted him a diplomatic passport to help with visa-related issues.
He travelled from Kenya through Turkey to Miami, before being sent back. No reason has been given.
FIFA had last week confirmed that Artan’s visa situation had been ‘fully resolved, and he will now be available to officiate at the FIFA World Cup’.
But on Monday night they released a statement, reading: ‘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.
‘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.
‘In line with previous Fifa events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.’
Somalia features on President Trump’s travel ban list, and last month he said ‘they’re all crooks’ of Somali immigrants in America. In January he called the nation ‘the worst country in the world’.
Artan was named Africa’s Best Referee for 2025 at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards in November.
