Somali referee Omar Artan, named the Confederation of African Football’s Men’s Referee of the Year in 2025, saw his hopes of officiating at the 2026 World Cup derailed after being stopped by US immigration authorities while travelling to the tournament’s refereeing base in Florida. Artan was among 52 referees selected for the competition, but his trip ended after what he described as an 11-hour immigration interview followed by several hours in detention before he was put on a flight back to Istanbul, Turkey.
According to Artan, the official World Cup refereeing base was set in Florida, where match officials were required to stay for training, preparation and security reasons. Because of that arrangement, it was not possible for him to remain outside the United States and work matches in Canada or Mexico. His removal means he will not take part in the tournament despite having been chosen for one of football’s biggest stages.
Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House task force on the World Cup, defended the decision. Speaking to BBC World Service, he said he could not discuss the details of the case, but described it as the right action by Customs and Border Protection and said he supported it. The incident comes amid wider US immigration restrictions introduced during Donald Trump’s administration.
In June 2025, Trump imposed a full entry ban on people from 12 countries under any visa category, including Somalia. The case also unfolded against a backdrop of controversial remarks Trump made about Somalia in December 2025, two days before the World Cup draw. At the time, he made sweeping and insulting comments about the country, saying Somalia was “barely a country” and claiming it lacked structure. He also said Somali immigrants should “go back to where they came from” and warned that the US would “go the wrong way” if it continued to admit what he called “garbage” into the country.
Back in Somalia, Artan responded with a message of resilience and national pride. He urged young people not to lose hope because of what happened to him and called on them to defend Somalia’s honour. He said that Somalia’s flag and passport belong to its people and that they should stand by their nation even in difficult times.
Artan added that, despite his own experience, he still intended to continue his journey and encouraged Somali youth to do the same. His comments reflected disappointment but also determination, turning his personal setback into a message about dignity, perseverance and faith in the future of his country.
