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Somali World Cup Referee Denied US Entry Heads Back Home
(MENAFN) Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who had been poised to make history as the first Somali official to oversee a FIFA World Cup match, departed Istanbul on Tuesday bound for Mogadishu after US authorities refused him entry to the country hosting the 2026 tournament.
Speaking to reporters at Istanbul Airport before stepping onto a Turkish Airlines flight home, Artan offered measured words of appreciation rather than bitterness. "I wanted to thank FIFA for supporting me all the way and the Somali people also. So I am very grateful for FIFA and CAF (Confederation of African Football) also. So this is what I have to say," he said.
The Somali Football Federation condemned the move in a statement issued Tuesday, expressing profound disappointment over the ban. The body confirmed that no formal justification had been provided by US officials, while calling on the public to withhold judgment until a full account of the circumstances emerges.
At the White House, officials stood firmly behind the exclusion. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, acknowledged the case directly but stopped short of providing any detail, stating only that the decision to block Artan "was for a very good reason." His remarks came as part of a broader defense of the administration's policy of denying entry to multiple international figures connected to the tournament — a stance framed as essential to safeguarding the event.
No explanation has yet been made public.
Speaking to reporters at Istanbul Airport before stepping onto a Turkish Airlines flight home, Artan offered measured words of appreciation rather than bitterness. "I wanted to thank FIFA for supporting me all the way and the Somali people also. So I am very grateful for FIFA and CAF (Confederation of African Football) also. So this is what I have to say," he said.
The Somali Football Federation condemned the move in a statement issued Tuesday, expressing profound disappointment over the ban. The body confirmed that no formal justification had been provided by US officials, while calling on the public to withhold judgment until a full account of the circumstances emerges.
At the White House, officials stood firmly behind the exclusion. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, acknowledged the case directly but stopped short of providing any detail, stating only that the decision to block Artan "was for a very good reason." His remarks came as part of a broader defense of the administration's policy of denying entry to multiple international figures connected to the tournament — a stance framed as essential to safeguarding the event.
No explanation has yet been made public.
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