{"id":3427,"date":"2026-06-10T08:05:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T08:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3427"},"modified":"2026-06-10T08:05:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T08:05:02","slug":"somali-world-cup-referee-denied-entry-to-us-arrives-home-to-heros-welcome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3427","title":{"rendered":"Somali World Cup referee denied entry to US arrives home to hero’s welcome"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Referee Omar Artan, center, of Somalia, is confronted by players after calling a penalty kick during the CAF Champions League final soccer match between AS FAR Rabat and Mamelodi Sundowns, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Mosa\u2019ab Elshamy)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

MOGADISHU, Somalia \u2014 A World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States arrived Wednesday in Somalia\u2019s capital of Mogadishu, where he was received by a crowd of supporters and officials.<\/p>

Read more Ahead of World Cup, Mexico striker Raul Jimenez fixes club future by signing for Wolves again<\/a><\/p>\n

Omar Artan was set to be the first referee from Somalia<\/a> to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA\u2019s final list for the tournament. He is one of Africa\u2019s top referees and was named the continent\u2019s best male referee in 2025.<\/p>\n

He was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over \u201cvetting concerns,\u201d U.S. Customs and Border Protection<\/a> said in a statement without giving details of those concerns. FIFA<\/a> subsequently cut him<\/a> from the tournament\u2019s referee list.<\/p>\n

Artan was issued a visa to travel to the U.S. last week, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya that processed it.<\/p>

Read more Braden Montgomery hits 2-run homer in 10th inning of MLB debut to lift White Sox over Braves 6-5<\/a><\/p>\n

He returned to a hero\u2019s welcome at the airport in Mogadishu, where he thanked the Somali government and people as well as FIFA for their support for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI promise you, God willing, that I will attend the next one,\u201d he said as hundreds of supporters at the airport waved the Somali flag. \u201cI want the Somali public to take comfort in this and remain confident.\u201d The U.S.\u2019s highly unusual move to deny a FIFA-appointed match official permission to enter a World Cup host country drew outrage across the world and raised questions among some fans about America\u2019s capacity to host the competition.<\/p>\n

Somalia is one of nearly 40 countries subject to new travel restrictions under the Trump administration\u2019s crackdown on immigration<\/a> .<\/p>

Read more A wild Stanley Cup Final swings again as Hurricanes win 5-3 to make series 2-2 with Golden Knights<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States has returned to Somalia\u2019s capital of Mogadishu, where he was received by a crowd of supporters and officials<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nSomali World Cup referee denied entry to US arrives home to hero's welcome - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=3427\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Somali World Cup referee denied entry to US arrives home to hero's welcome - 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