Somalia's first-ever World Cup referee denied US entry after 11-hour airport interrogation

Omar Artan, who had been named to FIFA’s official referee list two months ago and was poised to become the first Somali official ever to work a World Cup, was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday and has since been removed from the tournament roster.

US Customs and Border Protection turned Artan away citing “vetting concerns” but offered no further explanation — even though the Somalia Embassy in Kenya had confirmed his visa was issued just last week. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said Tuesday that Artan was denied admittance for “very good reason” but similarly declined to elaborate.

Artan told The New York Times that border officials subjected him to roughly 11 hours of questioning, covering his reasons for travelling to the US, Somali politics, and the al-Shabab militant group. Despite presenting FIFA documentation and photographs from his refereeing career, he was placed in a holding cell before being put on a return flight to Istanbul, the city from which he had made his connecting journey. “I think that they have a problem with my country,” Artan told the Times, adding that he was never given a formal reason for the refusal.

Recognised as one of Africa’s leading officials — he was named the continent’s best male referee in 2025 — Artan had been scheduled to join fellow World Cup referees at their training base in Miami ahead of the tournament’s opening on Thursday.

The decision to bar a FIFA-appointed match official from entering a host country is highly unusual and has amplified broader concerns about the tournament. Somalia is among nearly 40 nations subject to tightened travel restrictions under the Trump administration, raising fears that fans, players, and other officials from those countries — many of them African — could face similar denials even when holding valid visas.

The Somalia Youth and Sports Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that its embassy in the US is actively working to resolve the situation and secure Artan’s participation. A senior adviser at the ministry, Isse Aden Abshir, indicated the government is engaging with relevant authorities, though no resolution had been announced at the time of publication.