Fifa drops Somali referee from World Cup after US denies entry
Football governing body Fifa has removed Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan from the 2026 World Cup officiating roster after American authorities denied him entry into the country, ending what would have been the first World Cup finals appearance by a Somali match official.
Artan, the Confederation of African Football's men's referee of the year in 2025, was barred from entering the US at Miami International Airport and is currently in Turkey.
US immigration authorities have not publicly provided a reason for the decision.
In a statement, Fifa said Artan would be unable to participate in the tournament after discussions with US authorities.
"FIFA can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States," the governing body said.
The governing body, which organises football events all over the world, said that it is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications.
"In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country," the statement said, adding that it has been informed by authorities that Artan's status "will not be changed at present".
Artan was one of 52 referees selected by Fifa to officiate at the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July.
A Fifa referee since 2018, Artan has officiated at the Africa Cup of Nations and in Somalia's national league competitions.
Somalia is among several countries affected by travel restrictions introduced by US President Donald Trump's administration.
A senior adviser to Somalia's Ministry of Youth and Sports confirmed the denial of entry and said Artan had been travelling with valid documents, BBC reported.
A Somali embassy official in Nairobi said Artan had been issued a diplomatic passport to help facilitate travel after previous visa-related difficulties.
The report said that the Somali Football Federation has contacted Fifa seeking urgent clarification.
"While I can't go into the derog [derogatory information] on that I can tell you it was the right decision by customs and border patrol and I support that decision," Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House Task Force on the World Cup, told BBC World Service.
In December, Giuliani had said that the Trump administration cannot guarantee that non-US citizens will be safe from ICE raids at stadiums.
In April, the president of the Palestine Football Association (PFA), as well as two other officials from the organisation, were denied visas to Canada for the annual Fifa Congress held in Vancouver on 30 April, according to The Guardian.
PFA president Jibril Rajoub was reportedly set to address the Fifa Congress on the matter of Israel holding football matches in the West Bank, which is illegally occupied land, according to the United Nations.
After carrying out an investigation based on a 2024 complaint, Fifa insisted that "the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law", and therefore, it would "take no action".
In February, the groups Irish Sport for Palestine, Scottish Sport for Palestine, Just Peace Advocates, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, and Sport Scholars for Justice in Palestine filed a 120-page complaint with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court against Fifa's president, The New York Times reported.
The complaint named Gianni Infantino and European football governing body president Aleksander Ceferin, accusing them of "aiding war crimes".
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
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