Somali referee says World Cup ‘dream’ ruined

Somali referee Omar Artan said the “biggest dream of my life” had been ripped away after he was denied entry to the United States to officiate at the World Cup.

Artan, who was named referee of the year in 2025 by the Confederation of African Football, has been dropped from FIFA’s list of officials after he was refused entry to the US upon arriving in Miami on Saturday.

Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration as part of a broader immigration crackdown.

“I am very, very disappointed,” Artan told the New York Times on Tuesday in a telephone interview from Istanbul.

“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.”

After an 11-hour interview with border officials, Artan said he was taken to a separate holding cell where he was detained for several further hours before being put on a flight back to Istanbul.

“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” he added.

FIFA claimed that it was powerless to influence the decision, which it said was the sole preserve of tournament co-hosts the United States.

“In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country,” said a spokesperson for football’s governing body.

A spokesperson for United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Artan was denied entry following a routine inspection.

“The traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” the statement said.

“Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.”

The Somali government expressed “deep regret” at Artan’s exclusion from the tournament.

“Artan represents the very best of Somali talent,” said Somalia’s Ministry of Sports.

The largest World Cup in history begins on Thursday shrouded in political tension.

Iran, who will play their three group games on American soil, were forced to switch their training base to Mexico due to the military conflict between Tehran and the US.

The Iranian football federation on Tuesday said its allocation of tickets for supporters has been revoked, while some of the team’s support staff were denied visas.

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