ISTANBUL, Turkey
Somali referee Omar Artan has been denied entry into America, where he was due to referee at the World Cup this summer.
The 34-year-old had travelled to the United States via Kenya and Türkiye, granted a diplomatic passport in Nairobi in an attempt to help his travel.
Somalia is one of the countries on the travel ban list brought in by President Trump.
Despite FIFA claiming last week that Artan’s visa situation had been ‘fully resolved and he will now be available to officiate at the FIFA World Cup,’ he has been denied entry into the US.
The referee had a valid visa and the diplomatic passport, but has flown back to Istanbul.
Ciise Aden Abshir, senior advisor to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, told AFP: ‘Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community.
‘Artan had a valid visa for the US. He has flown back to Istanbul, where he has been staying.
‘Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football’s commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play.’
Artan has been a FIFA referee since 2018 and has officiated at the African Cup of Nations and the CAF Champions League.
He was named the CAF men’s referee of the year in 2025 and became the first Somalian to be selected to referee at the World Cup finals this year.
The Iran team has also faced issues ahead of the World Cup, with players only issued with visas last week.
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