Omar Artan is believed to be denied entry under Trump’s new travel restrictions
Award-winning soccer referee Omar Artan, the first Somali national to officiate at the FIFA World Cup finals, has been denied entry to the United States, according to the African nation’s top sports official.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, has faced scrutiny before the start of a range of organizational issues, including changing US entry policies and strict regulations that have led to lengthy suspensions due to weather warnings and other problems.
The latest controversy erupted on Monday when Artan was denied entry and turned away at Miami International Airport despite having a valid US visa. The Somali referee had to return to Istanbul, Türkiye, where he has been living, according to Ciise Aden Abshir, senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former captain of the national team.
“Omar Artan is one of the most respected referees in Africa and deserves the support of the entire football community,” Abshir told AFP. “Denying him from entering the United States and preventing him from playing scheduled matches not only harms him personally but also undermines soccer’s commitment to equality, quality and the spirit of fair play,” he added.
No clear reason was immediately known for denying entry to the referee, who became the first Somali national to be selected for the World Cup finals. The decision may be related to the Trump administration’s broad ban on immigration and visa processing imposed on Somali nationals.
The United States has taken other hostile measures against the African nation, thus moving earlier this year to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from that country.
In a separate incident, the Senegalese national team faced a manhunt on the runway immediately after disembarking from their flight. Videos circulating online show members of the team being frisked by law enforcement officers and searched with metal detectors. Senegal is another African country that is on Trump’s travel ban list as well.
Over the weekend, a sudden policy change in US entry rules affected dozens of Scotland fans just days before the start of the tournament, where Scotland’s national team will appear for the first time in nearly three decades. Many fans received their application for the US Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and suddenly switched from “approved” for “waiting” or “Transport not authorized.” An approved ESTA is usually valid for two years and allows multiple entries, while British citizens are allowed to stay in the US for up to 90 days without a visa.
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