World Cup: FIFA president regrets Somali referee's cut in USA: 'We don't control everything'

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, at a press conference in Mexico on the eve of the football World Cup on June 10, 2026.
REUTERS/Henry Romero
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, said this Wednesday (10) that the absence of Somali referee Omar Artan in the football World Cup, which will start on Thursday, is "regrettable". Infantino said the federation cannot interfere in migration decisions of tournament host countries.
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"It's regrettable what happened to Omar (Artan), the Somali referee. But again, we don't control everything. (...) We're working behind the scenes, trying to understand the situation, but there are things we can know, things we can't know, things they tell us and things they don't tell us," Infantino said at a press conference at the Azteca stadium, in Mexico City, the day before the start of the tournament.
Artan was cut from the World Cup by FIFA itself this week, after he was barred from entering the USA to referee games in the competition (read more below). His cut was controversial and gained worldwide repercussion. The referee was received like a hero upon arriving in Somalia this Wednesday.
The International Football Federation (Fifa) said in a statement at the beginning of the week that it does not interfere in the final decisions taken by the host country's migration authorities. Infantino reinforced this version at the press conference when asked if he felt he had lost control of the World Cup:
"We are always trying to find solutions, but we need to recognize that we are not the owners of the world, who can command governments and police forces - we are a sports organization," said the FIFA president.
Somali referee selected for the World Cup is denied entry to the USA by the Trump administration
At the same time, Infantino boasted of the coordination made behind the scenes to enable the Iranian team to play the competition in North American territory. After all, the USA and Iran have been at war since the end of February.
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Somalian referee Omar Artan was removed from the referee panel of the football World Cup after he was prevented from entering the United States, the International Football Federation (FIFA) reported this Monday (8).
"FIFA can confirm that referee official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will not be able to train or play at the 2026 World Cup after being denied entry to the United States. FIFA is not involved in the immigration processes of the host countries, including visa grants, and was informed by the authorities that Mr. Artan's situation will not be changed at this time", stated the federation.
Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan in a photo from January 2024.
Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP
As a member of 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.
Artan "is one of the most respected referees in Africa and (...) denying him entry into the United States and preventing him from working (...) harms not only him personally, but also undermines 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.
Omar Artan would be the first Somali referee to referee World Cup games. At 34 years old, he was among the 52 referees selected to work in this year's edition of the tournament, organized jointly by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The Trump administration had not publicly commented on the case until the last update of this report.
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Source: G1