FIFA Referee Denied Entry to USA for 2026 World Cup

Washington. With only 48 hours left for the start of the 2026 Football World Cup, a new controversy has arisen after the host nation USA banned a key FIFA referee from entering the country and sent him back. FIFA's top referee from Africa, Omar Artan, was sent back to Somalia from Miami airport by US immigration officials. Artan, who came to join the 51-member referee team selected for the World Cup, was interrogated for 11 hours and kept in custody. Ultimately, despite having the necessary visa and documents, he was put on a plane back to the capital, Mogadishu.

This incident has caused a huge stir in the football world. Pierre Poore, Executive Director of 'Fair', an organization campaigning against discrimination, stated that this situation arose due to the US government's ideological and discriminatory immigration policy. He said, 'Such a farce, where a FIFA official referee is denied entry while coming for preparations, has never been seen in history.' Artan became the first Somali referee to officiate a continental final in 2025 and also played an excellent role in the U-20 World Cup in Chile. He has been deprived of the moment of fulfilling his life's biggest dream due to US policy. Regarding this, Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House Task Force, defended the decision of the border security force, calling it correct. Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright also termed it a 'World Cup of chaos.'