A Somali referee whom the United States (US) denied entry into its shores for World Cup officiating, Omar Artan gets a hero’s welcome on return to his home country Somalia
By Patrick Ogboru
Thirty-four-year-old Omar Artan, who was chosen by FIFA as the first Somali referee to officiate at a World Cup, said he was questioned for hours about a militant group and then denied entry into the United States of America (USA).
Somalia is not competing at the World Cup, but from the scenes at Mogadishu’s airport on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, one would think the country had won the trophy. Reason? Huge crowd of supporters of Artan, blue-bereted police and journalists jostled to get close to the plane that had just taxied to the terminal ramp.
Stepping off the airliner was not a victorious soccer team, however, but rather the man who has become an emblem of what critics say are America’s strict anti-immigration policies colliding with the world’s biggest sporting event.
Artan was billed to be the first Somali referee to officiate at a World Cup, selected for the tournament which started on Thursday, June 11, 2026 being hosted by a combination of three countries, including the United States, Canada and Mexico. But after landing in Miami on Saturday, June 6 where the referees’ training base is, he was detained and questioned for 11 hours, before being sent back home.
He is not an isolated case: 15 Iranian officials have also been denied entry, according to Iranian state media, as has the official Iraqi team photographer. An Iraqi player, Aymen Hussein, and other teams say they have been subjected to intensive and sometimes invasive searches at the border.
Artan waved to supporters draped in the Somali flag after he returned to Somalia.
The U.S. government gave assurances to FIFA years ahead of the soccer tournament that “eligible athletes, officials and fans from all countries around the world” would be able to attend. But preparations for the tournament faced uncertainty due to travel bans and restrictions imposed under President Donald Trump that prevent or severely limit entry to the U.S. for citizens of 39 countries.
Other World Cup tournaments were far from flawless, from the authoritarianism of Russia in 2018 and the human rights concerns of Qatar in 2022, right back to the tournaments held under Mussolini’s Italy in 1934 and Argentina’s junta in 1978. But the spectacle of refusing entry to an accredited referee is unprecedented in the modern era, triggering widespread criticism domestically and internationally.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it “terribly backward” for the U.S. to be “flippantly barring officials from entering the country to do their jobs.”
Retired Arsenal and England forward Ian Wright said in a video post that the event was becoming the “World Cup of chaos,” asking: “Is this how the hosts behave really for the greatest game, the greatest tournament in the world?”
Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House World Cup Task Force, said on Tuesday, June 9 that Artan was denied entry for a “very good reason” but declined to go into detail. A US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said the denial was due to “vetting concerns” without further clarification.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Trump administration official told NBC News that Artan was refused for reasons including “association with suspected members of terror organizations.” The Trump administration official declined to provide evidence or details on the nature of the alleged association.
Artan told The New York Times he was questioned repeatedly about Somalia’s al-Shabab, saying he did not know anything about the militant group.
Somalia has rallied around Artan. The Somali Sports Ministry expressed “deep regret” over his treatment and the Somali Football Federation expressed its full support for him, though it stressed that “it would be inappropriate to speculate or draw conclusions until all relevant facts have been clearly established.”
Artan said in a statement on Tuesday that “despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career.”
Meanwhile, following discussions with its sister confederation, Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), UEFA has appointed Artan to officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup, which will take place on August 12, 2026 in Salzburg between UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Europa League winners Aston Villa.
Despite his young age, Artan has established himself as one of the world’s top referees and has been on the FIFA international list since 2018. Among the most notable matches he has officiated is the second leg of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League final. In recognition of his performances, he received the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year Award 2025.
