Omar Abdulkadir Artan revealed the shocking ordeal that led to him being denied entry into the United States of America (USA) for the 2026 FIFA World Cup,
which is being hosted by three countries that also include Mexico and Canada. The mega-event will start on June 11 but remains embroiled in controversies largely caused by the USA's discriminatory immigration laws. Artan, who hails from Somalia, was chosen by FIFA as one of the 52 referees for the mega event. He was set to officiate in a World Cup for the first time in his career on the back of being awarded Africa's Best Referee award by the Confederation of Africa (CAF) last year. In fact, he would have also become the first referee from Somalia to take charge of a FIFA World Cup match in history. In an interaction with the Athletic, Artan spoke about the incident and claimed that he had the right papers and accused the officials in the USA of having a problem with Somalia. "I am very, very disappointed. 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. I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa. I think that they have a problem with my country," said Artan. In the same interaction, Artan claimed that he was interrogated for 11 hours at the Miami International Airport before being kept in a separate holding cell for hours before being deported by being put on a flight to the Turkish capital, Istanbul. The referee claimed he was given no explanation for the decision. Even a statement from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not offer any insight into why Artan was not allowed to enter the USA. “The traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of C.B.P.’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility. Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry," said the statement. In the same interview, the Somali match official revealed that he was asked questions about political events in Somalia, which included many queries about militant group Al Shabab FIFA also turned a blind eye to the situation and claimed that it cannot interfere in the immigration policy of a country. “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,” said FIFA's statements. In recent months, the Donald Trump administration has imposed significant travel restrictions on people entering the USA from Somalia. FIFA has also strangely not allowed Artan to officiate matches that will be played in Mexico and Canada either. It has been reported by the BBC that the world football governing body has set a base for referees in Florida, and all match officials (52 referees and 88 assistant referees) must stay there for 'training, preparation and security.'
