Africa's Best Football Referee Denied Entry to USA for World Cup. Citizenship Proved to Be a Problem
Days before the start of the FIFA World Cup in the USA, a visa scandal erupted. The American immigration service denied entry to Somali referee Omar Artan, who was included by FIFA in the list of tournament officials.
Omar Artan
Reportedly, Artan arrived at Miami International Airport with a diplomatic passport, but he was denied entry without explanation and sent back on a flight to Istanbul.
Artan became the first referee from Somalia in history to be appointed for the final stage of the World Cup. In 2025, he was recognized as the best referee in Africa by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and officiated the final match of the African Champions League between Egyptian club Pyramids and South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns.
Somalia is among the countries whose citizens are subject to American visa restrictions. Despite having a diplomatic passport, an exception for Artan was reportedly not made.
Earlier, the Iraqi national team faced similar difficulties. Their striker Aymen Hussein was detained for additional screening upon arrival in Chicago. According to team representatives, the interrogation lasted about seven hours, after which the footballer was finally allowed entry.
At the same time, the photographer for the Iraqi national team was less fortunate: after more than ten hours of checks, he was denied entry and deported from the country.
Problems with obtaining American visas also arose for a number of representatives of the Iranian national football team, including the leadership of the national federation.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11 in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. For the first time in history, it is being held simultaneously in three countries, and also for the first time, as many as 48 national teams are participating.
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