{"id":2330,"date":"2026-06-09T17:34:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T17:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2330"},"modified":"2026-06-09T17:34:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T17:34:40","slug":"world-cup-referee-denied-entry-to-the-us-was-about-to-make-history-for-somalia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2330","title":{"rendered":"World Cup referee denied entry to the US was about to make history for Somalia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) \u2014 The World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States after arriving in Miami and subsequently cut from the tournament by FIFA was set to make history for his country.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Omar Artan was going to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA\u2019s final list for the tournament, which was announced two months ago. He is one of Africa\u2019s top referees and was named the continent\u2019s best male referee in 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over \u201cvetting concerns,\u201d U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without giving details of those concerns. Artan was issued a visa to travel to the U.S. last week, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya that processed it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The move to deny a FIFA-appointed match official permission to enter a World Cup host country is highly unusual. Artan was due to meet up with other World Cup referees at their training base in Miami.<\/span><\/p>\n

Somalia is one of nearly 40 countries subjected to new travel restrictions under the Trump administration\u2019s strict crackdown on immigration. That raised concerns that fans, players and officials from those countries \u2014 most of which are African \u2014 might be caught up in the crackdown and denied entry for the World Cup despite having valid visas.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Questioned for hours at airport<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Artan told The New York Times he was interviewed at Miami airport for 11 hours by border officials, who asked him why he\u2019d traveled to the U.S. and questioned him about Somali politics and the al-Shabab militant group that is fighting an insurgency against the government there. He showed them FIFA documentation and photos from his refereeing career, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the questioning, he was put in a holding cell and sent back on a plane to Istanbul, Turkey, from where he\u2019d taken his connecting flight to the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that they have a problem with my country,\u201d Artan told The New York Times, adding he had the correct documents and visa. He said he wasn\u2019t told why he was refused entry, according to the Times.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Somalia Youth and Sports Ministry said on Tuesday that its embassy in the U.S. was trying to resolve the problem to allow Artan to referee at the World Cup, which opens on Thursday.<\/span><\/p>\n

The refusal to allow him into the U.S. might be related to the larger travel restrictions on Somalia \u201crather than any specific allegation against him,\u201d Isse Aden Abshir, a senior adviser at the Somalia sports ministry, told The Associated Press.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Artan subjected to \u2018additional inspection\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Monday that Artan \u201cunderwent additional inspection\u201d on arrival and called it \u201ca routine part of CBP\u2019s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry,\u201d CBP said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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CBP said all travelers seeking entry into the U.S. \u2014 including World Cup players, coaches and staff \u2014 were subject to CBP inspection and vetting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdmissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection,\u201d the CBP statement said. \u201cCBP officers have the authority to question travelers, conduct inspections, and determine admissibility consistent with U.S. law.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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FIFA drops ref from World Cup<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

FIFA said it was not involved in the immigration processes and was informed by U.S. authorities that Artan\u2019s \u201cstatus will not be changed at present.\u201d It said Artan wouldn\u2019t be able to train and officiate at the World Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country,\u201d FIFA said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino built close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s government as the U.S. prepared to co-host with Mexico and Canada and had publicly stressed how that would help the World Cup run smoothly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Infantino did not immediately comment on the issue, while FIFA released a statement on behalf of Artan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career,\u201d Artan said in the statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

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He was to make history for Somalia<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Artan was praised as one of Africa\u2019s best referees and was the ref for the decisive leg of the African Champions League final last month \u2014 Africa\u2019s biggest club soccer game.<\/span><\/p>\n

He spoke in a recent interview with the Al Jazeera TV network about how he was honored to be selected as the first Somali to referee at the World Cup and how he faced challenges in his conflict-torn country in East Africa, including sometimes having to change his route to training because of explosions in the streets of the capital, Mogadishu.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot give up as a referee,\u201d Artan said in the interview. This (going to the World Cup) was my big, big target and I\u2019m really excited.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa. AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Omar Artan was going to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA\u2019s final list for the tournament. 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