AFRICA's top referee who was set to be the first from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup has been barred from entering the US, leading to widespread condemnation.
Omar Artan was named the Confederation of African Football (CAF) men's referee of the year in 2025 but has now been dropped from the list of officials for the tournament after being denied entry at Miami International Airport despite allegedly having a valid travel visa.
No reason for the repatriation has been issued by US immigration authorities, but Somalia is on a travel ban list implemented by Donald Trump's administration.
Fifa has confirmed Artan will miss the tournament, which is also being held in Canada and Mexico. The Somali Football Federation has contacted Fifa seeking urgent clarification.
Fifa said in a statement: "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.
"In line with previous Fifa events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country."
A spokesperson for the the US Customs and Border Protection said Artan had undergone "additional inspection" on arrival on Saturday as officers looked to determine whether to let him into the country.
They added: "Following inspection, the traveller, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry."
Representatives of the Somali government said the decision had “undermined football’s commitment to fair play”.
“Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” said Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, in a statement first shared with Agence France-Presse.
"Denying him entry to the US 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.”
Jeremy Corbyn, the parliamentary leader of Your Party, said: "What an absolute disgrace. A Fifa-certified referee being denied entry to the United States purely because he is Somali.
"The World Cup is meant to bring people together. This is racism, plain and simple. Shameful."
It is understood Artan, who officiated at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2023 and has been a Fifa referee since 2018, is now in Turkey where has been based in recent months.
The president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has previously described Artan as “a symbol of inspiration for the new generation of Somalis”.
Artan said himself in a statement: "Despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career.
"I would like to thank Fifa and [the African federation] for all their support and I promise to keep my refereeing levels up as I concentrate on the future."
The decision to block Artan has led to widespread anger from football fans and journalists on social media.
Daniel Storey, chief football writer at the i Paper, said: "Statement from Omar Artan is far more graceful and reserved than Fifa deserves.
"It is a stain on this tournament that one of Africa's top officials can be blocked from the biggest month of his career."
UK minister Liz Kendall was asked whether she was worried about the ban this morning on Sky News.
She said she was "not responsible for American's immigration policy" but added the World Cup "works best when it is inclusive".
Travel problems have been hitting headlines for several days as players, fans, staff and officials have been arriving for the tournament which starts on Thursday.
Scottish football fans have been warned that approved travel permits do not guarantee entry to the United States just days before the World Cup begins.
Dozens of supporters say their electronic system for travel authorisation (Esta) has unexpectedly changed from “approved” to “travel not authorised”, with no explanation.
This week, Iranian officials said support staff had been denied visas at the last minute, while the Iraq striker, Aymen Hussein, was held and questioned for nearly seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare airport.
Swiss midfielder Breel Embolo was also denied an entry visa last week, but Swiss authorities said they had successfully appealed against the decision.
