Somali Referee Omar Artan Recounts 11-Hour Detention Before Being Denied US Entry for 2026 World Cup
Somali referee Omar Artan, who was set to become the first official from his country to officiate at a FIFA World Cup, has spoken out after being detained for 11 hours and denied entry into the United States despite holding valid travel documents.
Artan was stopped at Miami International Airport and subsequently removed from the list of match officials for the 2026 tournament.
“I am very, very disappointed,” Artan told the New York Times. “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.”
He confirmed that he had the “right papers and everything,” including the correct visa. A senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports also stated that Artan’s diplomatic passport had been issued specifically to ease his travel following earlier visa difficulties.
After an 11-hour immigration interview, Artan said he was placed in a separate holding cell for several hours before being put on a flight back to Istanbul, Turkey, where he is based.
FIFA confirmed that Artan will be unable to train or officiate at the tournament, noting that it is not involved in host country immigration processes.
Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House Task Force on the World Cup, supported the decision by US Customs and Border Protection, saying it was “the right decision,” though he declined to provide specific details.
The incident is the latest controversy surrounding the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Iran’s football federation has also reported that its allocation of fan tickets for the group stage has been revoked.
Pundit and former England striker Ian Wright described the ongoing issues as a “World Cup of chaos,” criticising repeated problems affecting fans, players, officials, and journalists.
Artan became a FIFA-listed referee in 2018 and was named CAF Men’s Referee of the Year in 2025. He had officiated matches at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The tournament is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
