Somali soccer referee denied US entry, will miss World Cup debut

June 8 (Reuters) – The United States has denied entry to soccer referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who had been expected to be the first Somali to officiate at a match in the World Cup.

A FIFA spokesperson said Artan would not be able to train and officiate at the World Cup — the latest edition of which kicks off on Thursday — after he was not allowed to enter the United States over the weekend.

Somalia’s government said it had unsuccessfully tried to negotiate with the U.S. and FIFA so that Artan could enter the country and it was saddened by what had happened.

“His international achievements are a source of honour and pride for the Somali people,” Somalia’s sports ministry said in a statement.

FIFA SAYS NOT INVOLVED IN IMMIGRATION POLICIES

A senior Somali official told Reuters that diplomatic efforts were continuing to try to get Artan into the U.S. for the tournament, but declined to share further details.

A FIFA 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,”. Its website does not show what match Artan was due to officiate.

Artan said in a statement that despite the circumstances he was in a positive mood and focused on the next challenges of his refereeing career.

“I would like to thank FIFA and CAF (Confederation of African Football) for all their support and I promise to keep my refereeing levels up as I concentrate on the future,” he said.

US POLICIES RAISE CONCERNS AHEAD OF WORLD CUP

Without naming him, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that a Somali national arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday and was deemed inadmissible due to vetting concerns.

The agency did not elaborate on those concerns, but said the referee underwent routine additional inspection before being denied entry.

“Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection,” the CBP said.

The Trump administration’s strict immigration policies have been a point of concern ahead of the World Cup. Last year, Washington imposed a sweeping travel ban on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia.

Artan, who was named CAF’s Best Male Referee for 2025, had a valid visa, according to media reports.

(Reporting by Kristina Cooke, Frank Pingue, Ismail Shakil and Rory Carroll; Additional reporting by Faisal Ali in Mogadishu; Editing by d Peter Rutherford and David Holmes)