Omar Abdulkadir Artan, the 34-year-old Somali referee acclaimed as Africa’s best official, was denied entry to the United States at Miami International Airport and sent back to Turkey after an 11-hour immigration interview. FIFA confirmed he will be unable to
When Omar Abdulkadir Artan stepped into the U.S. immigration process at Miami International Airport, his World Cup dream still looked intact. Within days, it was gone.
The Somali referee—34 years old and widely acclaimed as the best official in Africa—was due to be involved in the FIFA World Cup. Instead, American authorities refused him permission to enter the country after what he described as an 11-hour immigration interview. He was then taken to a separate holding cell and detained there for several more hours before being put on a flight back to Istanbul. despite not being given a reason for the denial.
Artan had transited through Turkey after traveling from Kenya. He was sent back to Turkey by flight, ending the trip that had been built around officiating at the 2026 tournament.
In remarks to the New York Times. Artan said he was “very disappointed.” He added. “I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa.” He also told the paper that he showed documentation from FIFA and photographs of his refereeing career to border officials. and that officials checked online material about his background. He claimed that his interview concluded after 11 hours, before he was placed in the holding cell.
The Trump administration has now put a sharper spotlight on why he was stopped. In a statement provided to FOX. a Trump administration official said Artan was seeking admission to the United States and that. after further inspection by CBP. “derogatory information. including association with suspected members of terror organizations. was discovered making the traveler ineligible for admission to the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).”.
The official said Artan was refused admission and given immigration forms that identify the section of law used to complete an expedited removal under 8235 of the INA. The statement also said, “President Trump’s administration will not allow any security threat to enter our country – full stop.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection previously described the process as routine. CBP said the traveler underwent additional inspection. part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility. Following that inspection. CBP said the referee—an official for the FIFA World Cup—was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and denied entry.
For FIFA, the decision has already reshaped the tournament’s staffing.
FIFA initially confirmed last week that Artan’s visa situation had been “fully resolved” and that he would be available to officiate at the FIFA World Cup. But on Monday night. FIFA released an updated statement saying it could confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after being denied entry into the United States.
FIFA also said it is not involved in host-country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and that it has been informed by authorities that Artan’s status will not be changed at present.
The human cost of the denial was visible far beyond the airport. Somalis in the community held pictures of Artan during a match in Somalia on Tuesday, reflecting how widely he had been expected to take part.
Artan’s supporters point to what he calls a different reality at the border. In his discussion with the New York Times, he said he was “very, very disappointed,” adding: “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live my dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”
The stakes around the U.S. entry decision are amplified by the broader political backdrop. Somalia appears on President Donald Trump’s travel ban list. Last month, Trump said of Somali immigrants in America: “They’re all crooks,” and in January called the nation “the worst country in the world.”
There is also context in how World Cup-related arrivals have been treated in the past. The United States has refused to issue visas to some members of Iran’s staff for the World Cup. and Iran players landed in Mexico at the weekend. They were pictured disembarking from their plane with pins on their clothing bearing the number 168. referencing the number of people killed by what was believed to be a U.S. missile in February.
Last week, Iraqi World Cup star Aymen Hussein was held and questioned for almost seven hours after arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. He was eventually allowed to enter, along with the rest of the Iraq squad, while the team’s photographer was barred from entering the country.
In Artan’s case, FIFA’s latest word is final for now: he will not be able to train or officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026, after the U.S. decision left no change in his status.
Omar Abdulkadir Artan Somali referee FIFA World Cup 2026 denied entry Miami International Airport CBP Immigration and Nationality Act expedited removal terrorism fears Omar Artan visa
This is messed up, why even let him get there then bounce him.
11 hours is insane. I’m guessing it’s some paperwork mixup? Or they just decided no and that was it.
They keep saying “terror associations” but like… he’s a referee. Seems like FIFA should have warned them or vetted him better. Also Miami airport is always chaos, could be one of those people got flagged wrong.
Bro 11 hours and then they don’t even say why? Sounds like they didn’t like something online and ran with it. If it’s “derogatory info” then how that come up for a World Cup ref, like is FIFA paperwork not enough? Kinda scary tbh, because he had the right visa and still got stuck in a holding cell. Idk man, this whole thing just feels off.