Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan has been removed from the FIFA World Cup roster after being denied entry into the United States despite holding a valid visa.
According to CNN, when asked about Artan’s case, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson said he underwent additional inspection upon arriving in Miami on a flight from Istanbul. “During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” the spokesperson 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.”
Photo Credit: Khaled Desouki/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Artan was named referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football in 2025 and made history as the first person from Somalia to referee a continental final, when he officiated the 2024-25 CAF Champions League final. Artan also made history as the first referee from Somalia to take charge of a continental final, overseeing Egyptian side Pyramids FC’s 2024–25 CAF Champions League triumph over South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in Cairo.
His appointment as the first Somali referee selected for a FIFA World Cup tournament was met with celebration, but that has seemingly turned sour as the referee has now been confirmed to have been removed from the roster.
Notably, Somalia is one of 39 countries affected by the Trump administration’s travel restrictions, meaning nationals from countries subject to the restrictions face additional scrutiny during the immigration process.
A Trump administration official later told CNN that the vetting process uncovered “derogatory information, including association with suspected members of terror organizations.” The official did not provide further details regarding the alleged associations but Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House Task Force on the World Cup, defended the decision when he said in a press briefing on Tuesday that Artan was denied entry for “very good reason”, and that he wants to make sure no “bad actors” get into the U.S.”
The FIFA World Cup has maintained that it plays no role in immigration processes for host countries or participants.
“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,” a FIFA spokesperson said in a statement. “In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.”
Speaking to the New York Times, Artan expressed his disappointment, saying: “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.”
