Somali referee denied US entry, misses World Cup

Somali football referee Omar Artan will miss the World Cup after U.S. border officials denied him entry into the United States. The decision came after his arrival at Miami airport, where he was scheduled to begin preparations for the tournament.

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Despite the circumstances, I remain in good spirits and focus on the next challenges in my refereeing career. I would like to thank FIFA and the Confederation of African Football for their support. I promise to maintain the highest level of refereeing, focusing on the future. Thank you to the football family for all the messages and I wish my colleagues good luck during the World Cup. I hope to join them again in future tournaments.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed that the Somali national, designated to officiate at the World Cup, was detained for additional screening upon arrival from Istanbul. While the traveler's name was not released, Artan is the sole referee from Somalia assigned to the tournament.

CBP stated the additional screening was a standard procedure to verify information and assess admissibility. Following the process, officials determined the referee did not meet the conditions for entry into the U.S. "After the inspection process, the traveler, a FIFA World Cup referee, was deemed inadmissible due to concerns arising from the verification process," CBP reported, without disclosing the nature of these concerns.

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During the inspection process, the traveler was subjected to additional screening, which is a routine element of the CBP inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility.

FIFA acknowledged that Omar Artan would not be able to participate in training or officiate matches during the tournament. The federation released a statement from Artan himself: "Despite the circumstances, I remain in good spirits and focus on the next challenges in my refereeing career. I would like to thank FIFA and the Confederation of African Football for their support. I promise to maintain the highest level of refereeing, focusing on the future. Thank you to the football family for all the messages and I wish my colleagues good luck during the World Cup. I hope to join them again in future tournaments."

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After the inspection process, the traveler, a FIFA World Cup referee, was deemed inadmissible due to concerns arising from the verification process.

FIFA emphasized it does not participate in immigration procedures of individual countries. The organization was informed by U.S. authorities that the referee's status "will not be changed at this time." The statement added, "As per practice during previous tournaments, the host country ultimately decides on visa issuance and admission of individuals to its territory."

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As per practice during previous tournaments, the host country ultimately decides on visa issuance and admission of individuals to its territory.