Somali referee Omar Artan barred from US for World Cup after 11-hour immigration ordeal

Omar Artan, the 34-year-old Somali referee who was set to become the first official from his country to take charge of a World Cup match, spent 11 hours being grilled by US immigration authorities at Miami International Airport on Saturday before being placed in a holding cell and then put on a flight back to Istanbul. No official reason was given for his deportation, but Somalia is among several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration. Artan, who was named 2025 men’s referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football, had arrived from Istanbul with what he described as the “right papers” and “right visa.” Speaking to the New York Times, he said: “I am very, very disappointed. 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.” Fifa confirmed on Monday that Artan “will be unable to train and officiate” at the tournament, adding in a statement: “Fifa is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present.” Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House Task Force on the World Cup, told BBC World Service: “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.” The barring has sparked fury across the football world. Former England striker Ian Wright, now a pundit for ITV, branded the tournament “the World Cup of chaos” in a social media video, highlighting a string of incidents involving fans, players, officials and journalists being denied entry. Black football legend Paul Canoville said: “Martin Luther King would be turning in his grave that this was happening in the 21st Century.” Somalia’s Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said he was “deeply disappointed,” describing Artan as “Africa’s finest referee and one of the best in the world.” The controversy adds to growing tensions around the tournament, with Iran forced to move its training base across the border to Mexico and its allocation of tickets revoked. Artan, who had a diplomatic passport issued specifically to ease his travel after earlier visa difficulties, summed up his ordeal: “I think they have a problem with my country.”