Somali referee scheduled for World Cup is denied entry to the US by the Trump administration

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan in a photo from January 2024.
Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP
Omar Artan, a Somali referee scheduled to work at the football World Cup, was denied entry into the United States by the Trump administration, an official from the African country reported on Monday (8).
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The reasons for this are still unknown expulsion, as Artan had a valid visa, Ciise Aden Abshir, advisor to the Somali Ministry of Youth and Sports, told the AFP news agency.
Somalia is one of several countries whose citizens are subject to a travel ban on the United States, imposed by the Donald Trump government.
Artan "is one of the most respected referees in Africa and (...) denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from working (...) harms not only him personally, but also undermines the football's commitment to equity, merit and the spirit of fair play", lamented Abshir. "The football community must support him at this difficult time", added the advisor, who is a former captain of the Somali national team.
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The Trump administration had not publicly commented on the case until the last update of this report.
Omar Artan would be the first Somali referee to officiate World Cup games. At 34 years old, he was among the 52 referees selected to work in this year's edition of the tournament, jointly organized by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
At FIFA since 2018, Artan has played in the Somali league and was elected Referee of the Year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 2025.
Somalia is in Donald Trump's sights. At the end of November, the American president described the country as "rotten" and declared his intention to end the special status that protects Somali citizens from deportation.
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