Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House Task Force on World Cup 2026, indicated referee Omar Artan was suspected of having ties to a Somali militant group.
World Cup referee, denied entry to U.S. because of suspected ties to terrorists, hailed in return to Somalia Somali World Cup referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry to the United States after an 11-hour interrogation in Miami over suspected links to a Somali militant group.
U.S. officials cited vetting concerns, noting Artan’s name resembles that of a man linked to Al Shabab. Artan, Africa’s Referee of the Year in 2025, vowed to continue his career after an emotional homecoming. Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry into the United States for the World Cup after enduring an 11-hour interrogation in Miami, according to media reports.
Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House Task Force on the World Cup, indicated Artan was suspected to having ties to a Somali militant group.
“We want to make sure we are not going to allow a soccer tournament to be the opportunity for terrorists to potentially get in the country or anybody who is actually talking to them,” Giuliani told the British Broadcasting Corporation. “I am very, very disappointed,” Artan told the Times from Istanabul, where he stopped on his way back to Somalia.
“I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup. ”Ahead of World Cup opener in L.A. , Iran lands in Tijuana wearing pins to honor schoolgirls killed in strike The Iran World Cup team arrived in Tijuana wearing lapel pins on their jackets acknowledging victims of a Feb. 28 missile strike on an elementary school.
Safety was purportedly the concern with Artan, whose interrogation was conducted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” CBP said in a statement. “Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry. ”Somalia is on the U.S. list of banned countries for immigration, although exceptions can be made.
Artan is considered one of the best referees in Africa, having officiated in the Somali national football league championship and at the African Cup of Nations.
“Despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood and focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career,” Artan said in a statement. “I would like to thank FIFA and for all their support and I promise to keep my refereeing levels up as I concentrate on the future. ”Everything you need to know to watch and follow the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including start times and TV and streaming information for every game.
“I want to thank FIFA for supporting me all the way, and for Somali people also,” he told Al Jazeera. “So I am very grateful for FIFA and for CAF also. This is what I have to say. ”Steve Henson is a breaking news and enterprise reporter at the Los Angeles Times.
He previously served as an editor and reporter in the Sports department. Henson was a leader in digital-only newsrooms from 2007-19 as a senior editor and columnist at Yahoo Sports and as senior editor at the USA Today Sports Media Group. This is his second stint at The Times, having covered the Dodgers and UCLA as well as doing enterprise, investigative and features writing from 1985-2007.
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
U.S. bars entry of FIFA World Cup referee from Somalia, citingvetting concernsFederal immigration authorities barred a Somali soccer referee who was slated to officiate the FIFA World Cup from entering the U.S. over the weekend, citing "vetting concerns."
Read more »
World Cup referee from Somalia denied entry to the US: CBPThe referee was 'determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry,' a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said, without going into further detail.
Read more »
World Cup ref denied entry to the US was about to make history for SomaliaThe World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States after arriving in Miami and subsequently dropped from the tournament by FIFA had been set to make history for his country
Read more »
2026 World Cup: How to watch all 104 World Cup gamesThe showcase tournament will be broadcast on multiple services and platforms as well as languages, so here’s some guidance.
Read more »