Peter Okereke
Somali referee Omar Artan, who was due to officiate at the World Cup but was denied entry to the United States, will reportedly still receive his full tournament fee from FIFA.
Artan was interrogated for 11 hours by US immigration officials at Miami International Airport on Monday, before being told he would not be allowed into the country for the tournament after his diplomatic passport and single entry US visa were rejected.
According to a statement by the US government, the Somali referee had not been allowed to enter the country because of an alleged “association with suspected members of terror organisations”.
Omar Artan said he had been questioned by border officials over his links to Somali militant group Al Shabab and had told them he knew nothing about the organisation. He further said the unexpected refusal had denied him “the biggest dream” of his life.
“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” Artan said. “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.”
However, even though Artan will take no part in the ongoing 2026 World Cup, the world’s soccer governing body has committed to paying his full salary, per BBC Sport. But referees do not know the actual fee they will receive for officiating at the World Cup, which is paid after the tournament is over.
Nonetheless, as a gesture of support, Artan, the 2025 Confederation of African Football (CAF) men’s referee of the year, has since been invited to officiate the UEFA Super Cup between Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria on 12 August this year.
