Somali referee denied entry to the US calls it “destiny”
Kyiv • UNN
Somali referee Omar Artan was barred from entering the US for the 2026 World Cup. After 11 hours of interrogation, he was denied entry due to issues with background checks.
Somali referee Omar Artan, who was scheduled to officiate matches at the 2026 World Cup starting tomorrow, called the ban on his entry to the US "destiny." This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
"What happened, happened, and it was destiny. I am grateful to FIFA for their support. Somalia belongs to us, for better or worse. I want to tell our youth not to lose hope in our country. I am in my country now, and I don't want to be anywhere else,"
He urged his fans to support their country.
Addendum
The US issued an entry ban for Africa's 2025 best referee, Omar Artan from Somalia. The referee had been included in the list of World Cup officials.
"I am very, very disappointed. I am just a referee trying to fulfill my dream, the biggest dream of my life—to go to the World Cup. I had all the necessary documents and so on. I had the required visa. I think they have problems with my country,"
According to him, he was interrogated for 11 hours before being denied entry to the US.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated that "after inspection, the traveler, a FIFA World Cup referee, was found inadmissible due to vetting issues."