Andrew Giuliani, the White House World Cup task force executive director, defended denying entry to Somali referee Omar Artan, saying the administration won’t let “bad actors” in. He said more than 5 million ESTA approvals were issued in the first half of the
DALLAS — Andrew Giuliani didn’t speak like someone trying to soften the edges of a controversial call. Standing before the Netherlands-Japan match in North Texas on Sunday. June 14. he defended the decision to keep Somali referee Omar Artan out of the United States. insisting the background matters and the stakes are public safety.
Artan was denied entry and will not referee at the tournament. but he will be paid for the work he would have carried out had he been allowed to enter. Giuliani said the concern wasn’t the sport’s international footprint—it was who officials believed Artan was connected to right before he planned to come to the country.
“More than anything, we can look at all the players that have gotten in that have had visas. Really, really amazing. All the coaches have had visas. so all the play on the field have not been affected. ” he said when asked by a reporter about Artan’s situation and FIFA’s relationship with the Trump administration. “The one referee you’re referring to. there’s some stuff we can’t talk about but at least stuff that’s come out was that he was talking to some very. very bad people right before he was coming to the United States of America.”.
Giuliani framed the decision as a line the administration would not cross. He said the U.S. isn’t driven by “soccer guys” and that the mandate of the World Cup effort is to ensure attendees can have an “unbelievable experience” while officials can “account for the people that are coming into the United States.”.
He added. “I’ll leave it at that. but what I can tell you is we’re not going to let the guys of a soccer tournament allow bad actors to come to the United States. It’s our mandate to make sure that people have an unbelievable experience. not just in Dallas but all around the country. That means making sure we can account for the people that are coming into the United States.”.
The remarks come after FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the denial “unfortunate” and said FIFA had been working in the background to try to resolve the situation. Infantino’s comment centered on Artan’s exclusion, even as Artan will still receive payment for the work he would have performed.
Giuliani also insisted visa processing has generally moved in a direction that supports the tournament schedule. He said there were more than 5 million ESTA approvals—an electronic visa approval program for citizens of approved countries—in the first half of the fiscal year. He pointed to Argentina as an example. saying the Trump administration has cut wait time for B-1/B-2 visas from 300 days to two days.
He contrasted that with other cases that drew public attention. Giuliani said Iran players and some staff were granted visas after months of uncertainty. and that domestic-based Haiti player Woodensky Pierre was able to join Les Grenadiers’ squad despite a travel ban on anyone coming from Haiti. Still, he acknowledged that other high-profile cases involved visas being rejected and other delays.
The throughline in his comments was that the U.S. is trying to welcome supporters and teams while controlling who gets through the door. “Giuliani said the administration wants to ‘welcome the world. We want people to have a great time here. We want them to see how incredible Texas is. but we also need to make sure we’re not letting the wrong people in.’”.
He tied the effort to a larger pitch about what fans should see next: games and atmosphere. “Look. we’ve created a lot of legal pathways to be able to get in to the country for these games. ” he said. “We’re very excited for them to kick off. I think you’ve seen through five games in the United States. eight games now. that the story has been on the pitch. That’s what we want. We want this to be a great story of what happens on the field, a great story of American exceptionalism.”.
As for enforcement on the ground. Giuliani said security has been successful through the tournament’s first five matches in the U.S. He described the focus shifting to practical issues—how fans are getting into and out of venues and how results may affect behavior on public transportation and in other community areas.
“You have to do this 78 times in 39 days,” he said. “For us. from the federal government’s perspective. from federal law enforcement’s perspective. you are stressing law enforcement to the absolute max. We need to make sure we use all the subject matter experts we can to make sure the country is safe.”.
The key tension in the weekend’s exchange is straightforward: the administration points to millions of approvals and visible on-field access for teams and coaches. while FIFA and Artan’s case put the emphasis on what happens when a single decision overrides the expected flow of tournament participation.
Andrew Giuliani Omar Artan Somali referee ESTA approvals B-1/B-2 visas World Cup task force FIFA Gianni Infantino Dallas security immigration policy tournament visas
Sounds like they denied him for being “bad” without saying anything…
Wait so they paid him even though he didn’t come? That’s wild, like why not just cancel it. Also “5 million ESTA approvals” doesn’t make this one make sense to me.
I saw this headline and I’m like ok, so they denied the referee but still say visas weren’t affected. That part about “bad people” before he came… is that just politics or did FIFA actually do something? Because refs usually have paperwork already right?
How convenient, “public safety” while refusing to talk about what they “can’t talk about.” Also why is this dude even talking about soccer when it’s literally refereeing? If he was talking to “bad people” then why let anyone in from that same area for the games anyway. And the article says ESTA approvals were “amazing,” but that doesn’t mean the denial wasn’t a mess.