Omar Artan: FIFA must never compromise universality of football – Blatter

By Emmanuel Okogba

Former FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter has stressed that FIFA must uphold the core principles governing World Cup host nations, including ensuring security and allowing unrestricted entry for all qualified participants.

Blatter made the remarks while commenting on the case of Somali referee Omar Artan, suggesting that the situation could conflict with one of the obligations expected of countries hosting the FIFA World Cup.

According to Blatter, host nations are required to guarantee both the safety of visitors and access for all teams and officials accredited for the tournament.

“A FIFA World Cup host country must guarantee two fundamental principles: the safety of the country – and the unrestricted entry of all qualified teams, officials and referees,” Blatter said.

Referring to Artan’s case, the former FIFA president added: “The case of referee Omar Artan from Somalia is against one of these obligations.”

Blatter also emphasized the importance of maintaining football’s global inclusiveness, urging football’s governing body to remain committed to the principle of universality.

“FIFA must never compromise the universality of football,” he said.

Omar Artan was denied entry into the United States ahead of the World Cup over alleged ‘association with suspected members of terror organizations’, according to a US govt official

Confirming the development, FIFA in a statement said “Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States.”

The football body backed the United States’ decision, saying it goes not get involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications.

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