Somali referee banned by US will receive full salary from FIFA

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who had been scheduled to officiate matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup but was barred from entering the United States, was greeted upon arrival at Aden Abdulle Osman International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, on June 10, 2026.
REUTERS/Feisal Omar
Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was barred to enter the United States to officiate World Cup games, will receive full payment from FIFA for the tournament, according to Reuters.
Artan arrived in Miami on a flight from Istanbul, Turkey, on June 6, but was denied entry into the country by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
In a note, the American body explained the decision. "Following inspection, the traveler, a FIFA World Cup referee, was deemed inadmissible due to background check concerns and was denied entry," the statement said.
Upon returning to Somalia, he was given a hero's welcome.
At 34 years old, Artan was elected Referee of the Year 2025 by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Somali has already refereed in two editions of the African Cup of Nations. A year ago, on June 1st, he officiated his first major continental final: the second leg of the African Champions League final, between Pyramids FC (Egypt) and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), in Cairo.
After the veto in the United States, UEFA, the entity that governs European football, selected the referee to referee the UEFA Super Cup match between Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain. The game will be played on August 12 in Salzburg, Austria.
After being prevented from entering the USA, a Somali referee is invited to referee the European Super Cup

Source: G1