A U.S. official said Tuesday night that Omar Artan, the Somalian soccer referee who was denied entry into the country ahead of the World Cup, was refused admission due to “association with suspected members of terror organizations.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter covered by visa privacy laws.
Artan had been named Africa’s top male referee in 2025 and was chosen by the Confederation of African Football to take part in this year’s World Cup one of seven African referees selected and would have been the first Somali to referee at the tournament.
Artan arrived at Miami International Airport on Saturday after a connecting flight from Istanbul, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained him for 11 hours.
Border officials questioned him about his reasons for traveling to the U.S., Somali politics, and the al-Shabab militant group. He showed them FIFA documentation and photos from his refereeing career before being placed in a holding cell and sent back to Istanbul.
Artan maintained his innocence, telling The New York Times, “I think that they have a problem with my country,” and adding that he had the correct documents and visa.
A FIFA spokesperson confirmed that Artan would not be able to train or officiate at the tournament, which kicked off this week across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Somalia’s government said it had unsuccessfully tried to negotiate with both the U.S. and FIFA to secure his entry.
The case has drawn wider attention to the Trump administration’s immigration stance surrounding the World Cup. Washington imposed a sweeping travel ban last year on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia, which has been a point of concern ahead of the tournament.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said Artan was denied entry for “very good reason” but declined to offer further details.
