Omar Artan, Africa’s top referee, spent 11 hours being grilled by US immigration officials in Miami before being put back on a plane home. He will not officiate at the 2026 World Cup. The first Somali ever selected for the tournament, Artan was due to join the other 51 referees for final preparations. Instead, he was refused entry – and Fifa has confirmed it will not intervene.
The snub has sparked fury across football. “Never have we seen the farce of an official Fifa referee being refused entry as he arrives for final preparations,” said Piara Powar, executive director of discrimination campaign group Fare. “It is pretty clear that the fears of an ideological and discriminatory visa policy from the US government is being realised.”
“Somali referee Omar Artan denied entry to US for World Cup after 11-hour immigration grilling, sparking backlash over discriminatory visa policy.”
The incident caps a contentious build-up to a tournament that was meant to let the football do the talking after the controversies of Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. The cost of tickets – described as the most expensive ever – a subpoena over ticket practices, and criticism of Fifa over hotel and transport pricing have all dogged preparations. Now, with 48 hours until kick-off, a member of Fifa’s own delegation has been turned away.
Artan had a year to remember in 2025. He became the first Somali to take charge of a continental final, officiating the second leg of Pyramids FC’s African Champions League victory over Mamelodi Sundowns. He worked three matches at the U-20 World Cup in Chile, including the third-place play-off, and refereed group games at the Africa Cup of Nations. Then, in March 2026, came the pinnacle: selection for the World Cup.
“Every referee’s ambition is to go to the World Cup,” Artan told BBC Somali last week. “When you are selected, you feel that all your hard work was worth it. Years of effort finally made sense.”
Former PGMOL chief and ex-Fifa referee Keith Hackett said the governing body should compensate Artan. “This appears to be so unfair, depriving a young referee of the opportunity to officiate at a World Cup,” Hackett told Football Insider. “Referees expected to earn in the region of $100,000 (£74,630). So, I hope that Fifa … will make a discretionary payment of $100,000 to him and his family.”
Christina Unkel, a former referee who will work for ITV as a pundit at the World Cup, said the decision had caused a ripple of dissent among tournament officials. “It made me incredibly sick,” she told talkSPORT. “It went through the refereeing community … the news circulated very quickly that this individual – not because of anything he’s done … just because he’s been stereotyped due to the country he’s from. It’s not a World Cup if you don’t allow the world to come in.”
Former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright also weighed in. “I’ve just read that the Somalian referee has been denied entry,” he said on social media. “Every few hours it’s another story … fans denied, players denied, officials denied, journalists denied, now refs. … Is this how the hosts behave really for the greatest game, the greatest tournament in the world?”
Concerns also persist about the potential presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at stadiums, and how fans might be affected. With the tournament yet to begin, the question looms: does Fifa have any control over what happens outside the stadium gates?