World Cup referee barred from officiating at tournament after being denied entry into the USA

Somalian referee Omar Artan will not referee at the World Cup after being refused entry into the United States.

The official is alleged to have been stopped from passing through border security at Miami International Airport despite possessing a valid travel visa.

AFP

Artan was subsequently placed on a return flight to Istanbul in Turkey.

US immigration authorities have not provided an explanation as to why Artan was not let into the country, although Somalia is one of multiple countries under a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration.

But FIFA later confirmed on Monday that Artan’s ban will not be overturned.

Artan ‘deserves support of the entire football community’

Following the news of Artan’s struggle to enter, former Somalia national team captain Ciise Aden Abshir believed the decision went against the sport’s ‘commitment to fairness, merit and the spirit of fair play’.

“Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” Abshir said.

“Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football’s commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play.”

Artan is one of 52 referees set to officiate a match at this year’s tournament, which spans across the US, Mexico and Canada.

How Artan could have made World Cup history

Artan was one of seven referees from Africa to have been assigned matches at the World Cup.

Pierre Atcho (Gabon), Dahane Beida (Mauritania), Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria), Jalal Jayed (Morocco), Amin Mohamed Omar (Egypt) and Abongile Tom (South Africa) are the others.

Had Artan been allowed to officiate, he would have become the first official from Somalia to referee a contest at the World Cup.

He became a FIFA referee in 2018 and has since gone on to oversee matches in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

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Artan was named Africa’s best referee in 2025 and is not the only individual who has had issues with getting into the US for the World Cup.

Switzerland striker Breel Embolo was initially refused entry to the US after his ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) status was placed under review due to a conviction in 2023 where he was found guilty of making multiple threats following an altercation in 2018.

Luckily for the Swiss and Embolo, he was granted approval to travel to the US last Thursday.

Elsewhere, Iraq forward Ayman Hussein was held and questioned for almost seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

Although Hussein was eventually waved through, Iraq’s team photographer was barred from entering having been held for over ten hours.