Somali World Cup referee denied entry to US arrives home to hero's welcome

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States arrived Wednesday in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu, where he was received by a crowd of supporters and officials.

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

He was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without giving details of those concerns. FIFA subsequently cut him from the tournament's referee list.

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

He returned to a hero’s welcome at the airport in Mogadishu, where he thanked the Somali government and people as well as FIFA for their support for him.

“I promise you, God willing, that I will attend the next one,” he said as hundreds of supporters at the airport waved the Somali flag. “I want the Somali public to take comfort in this and remain confident.” The U.S.'s 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's capacity to host the competition.

Somalia is one of nearly 40 countries subject to new travel restrictions under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.