Wednesday June 10, 2026
Istanbul (HOL) — Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan returned to Somalia on Tuesday after being denied entry to the United States, a decision that ended his expected role as the first Somali official selected to referee at a FIFA World Cup.
Artan flew back from Istanbul, where he had been sent after U.S. border officials refused him entry at Miami International Airport over the weekend. Preparations were underway in Mogadishu to welcome him home.
"I wanted to thank FIFA for supporting me all the way and the Somali people also. So I am very grateful for FIFA and CAF (Confederation of African Football) also. So this is what I have to say."
Artan, who had been selected among FIFA’s 52 referees for the 2026 World Cup, told The New York Times that officiating at the tournament would have been a symbol of what Somalis can achieve despite the country’s challenges.
“I am very, very disappointed,” Mr. Artan said in a telephone interview from Istanbul, the city he had been flown to after he was refused entry. “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.”
Artan said he arrived in Miami on Saturday, five days before the tournament’s opening match, but was taken aside by border officials and questioned overnight in a small room. He said he had the correct visa and FIFA documentation and showed officials evidence of his refereeing career.
“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” Mr. Artan said, adding that he had also showed documentation from FIFA as well as photographs of his career of over a decade as a professional referee. Border officials also checked online material detailing Mr. Artan’s career, he said. He was named referee of the year in 2025 by the Confederation of African Football, which governs soccer in Africa.
The interview lasted 11 hours, he said, before he was moved to a holding cell for several more hours and then placed on a flight back to Istanbul. Artan said officials did not tell him why he was refused entry.
The Somali Football Federation expressed deep regret Tuesday over the decision and said no official explanation had been provided. The federation urged patience until all facts surrounding the case are known.
U.S. officials have defended the broader entry screening process for World Cup participants, saying the measures are intended to ensure a safe tournament environment.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security previously told Al Jazeera that Artan was “determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry,” without providing further details.
FIFA has said Artan will not be able to train or officiate at the World Cup because his U.S. entry status will not be changed.
“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,” a FIFA spokesperson said.
Artan’s exclusion has sparked disappointment in Somalia, where his selection had been celebrated as a historic achievement for the country’s football community.
He was named Africa’s best referee for 2025 by the Confederation of African Football and had been expected to become the first Somali referee to officiate at a FIFA World Cup.
