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. Omar Artan was going to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA’s final list for the tournament, which was announced two months ago. He is one of Africa’s top referees and was named the continent’s best male referee in 2025. He was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without giving details of those concerns. FRANCE 24's Shirli Sitbon tells us more.
World Cup ref denied entry to the US was about to make history for Somalia
Political Leaning Analysis
Score: 0.02 •
Center / Neutral
Left
Center
Right
Story Timeline
Mon 21:37 - La Libre (BE)
Referee removed from 2026 World Cup after being refused entry to the United States
Mon 22:23 - Sky News (UK)
Top referee to miss World Cup after US denies him entry
Tue 00:05 - Washington Examiner
US denies entry to World Cup referee from Somalia over ‘vetting concerns’
Wed 05:46 - Washington Examiner
World Cup referee denied entry to the US due to ties to ‘members of terror organizations’
Wed 09:56 - France 24
World Cup ref denied entry to the US was about to make history for Somalia