Somali referee Omar Artan barred from World Cup after US denies entry
Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry to the United States after arriving in Miami, and FIFA removed him from the 2026 World Cup roster. United States officials determined Artan inadmissible because of vetting concerns, ending his chance to become the first Somali to referee at a World Cup finals. A FIFA official since 2018 and CAF’s 2025 Men’s Referee of the Year, Artan had been among the 52 officials selected to officiate at the tournament. His removal reduces the tournament’s officiating pool and highlights how host-country entry controls can determine which referees can participate at major events.
🚨 Here we go -> Somali World Cup referee Omar Artan denied entry to the US. This referee, who was due to be first official from his country to be involved in a World Cup game, had a diplomatic passport but was turned away in Miami. www.thetimes.com/article/f565...
Joseph Britt78I knew this would happen. It won’t be the last such incident.
Cris 🇨🇦59The worst part is they let you get on a freaking plane and travel for hours and hours vs having the decency to let you know before you board? Such bullshit.
Andy58Meanwhile FIFA continues to bow to Trump 😒
danielmeade43To be American now Is to be embarrassed
Insert_new_name_here32If FIFA weren't so corrupt they would've pulled the plug months ago and either moved the World Cup to Europe or worked with Canada and Mexico to add a few more venues in each country and cut us out entirely. Not ideal, but definitely would've been possible (see: Women's World Cup 2007).
🔵Vincefil26White South African referees are being aggressively recruited to replace him.
maryaskew.bsky.social12Is it absolutely necessary for the Trump administrstion to embarrass normal Americans at every opportunity?
Stephens12Effing outrageous. I hope he can switch with a referee in a different country so he can make history.
themedici.bsky.social9"The Somali referee Omar Artan, who was set to be the first official from his country to officiate at the World Cup, was turned back in Miami after flying in from Turkey, according to Somalian government officials." Obviously someone at CBP thought he was a "Somali refugee" and acted accordingly.
RascalAlice 🇺🇦9Shame on FIFA but my understanding is that it's as crooked as our administration.
Observation Group X6What if fans, officials, or players are harmed by this white‑supremacy insurrection? It is insane to run a FIFA event in a country in low‑intensity civil war — FIFA will share liability if anything goes wrong, and it already has. Stop the event until safety and legal obligations are secured.
Jim White6The world is coming to understand that the US can’t be trusted to act like serious, relatively responsible country. It will take years of effort, which may well not succeed, to try to return this country to respectability.
GUWonder5If FIFA execs had any self-respect — the self-dealers don’t — they would make a big stink about this and perhaps even move more of the matches to Canada or Mexico so he could referee as intended originally.
Walter Wrona4God, this is so embarrasing. Worst part is, as others have said, they could have easily let him know BEFORE he got on the plane and flew 20 something hours to get here.
Lake. Big Lake.3Of course FIFA are doing nothing. Disgusting.
Call Me Garbage Again3This will all become sports manipulation for betting
Named by FIFA to officiate during the World Cup, the Somali referee Omar Artan, elected best African referee for 2025, was denied entry to U.S. territory despite holding a diplomatic passport.
Diana Demarest33FIFA should just pull out of the U.S. They also denied Iran's team support staff.
Damian Lynch 🟧 🇦🇺 Rebellion is Mandatory during times of Tyranny19I hope it’s a financial disaster for FIFA
WildlifeGardener18All of the other officials need to get a spine & quit. Try having a World Cup without them. So ashamed of the United States.
Doremus J11I’m not watching a single match. Not one.
P.E. Griffiths🍁10Rabid racism loud and proud and openly on display for the entire world to see. Not unexpected by anyone paying attention to the corrupt fasciast regime.
L F Glatz6And it is never just racism, right? What a disgrace.
Jolly Confused6This is outrageous. What is FIFA, and Infantino in particular, going to do about this?
Doug6Par for the course in America. In future tRump and the tRump crime family should be denied entry into any friking country.
cyanine5did these dumbfucks ever think about it being called "THE WORLD" Cup?. jfc this is beyond embarassing!
Huh…5We have become an evil nation. I am so ashamed.
Mother Nature Strikes Back!5This makes me physically ill. In your face racism from my own country!
kevezc.bsky.social5This country is so fucked up. God, so embarrassed….
skipf26.bsky.social5They’re not even trying to hide the racism.
Not a friend of Tim Houston 🇨🇦3Only the best referee unless he’s black.
Gary Knowles2They are just brainless idiots.
ricardowensley.bsky.social2The US proves again they elected racist shit to govern them. I hope they are ashamed but know they don’t care
sun-dayz.bsky.social2The other day it was the Swiss forward Breel Embolo; then the Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein detained for 7 hours for questioning; Iran's technical bench & officials visa denial; Ivory Coast and Tunisia journalists are having multiple entry visa issues. Just throw this circus away at this point
Fair Robina2We hate to say we told you s.... No, no we don't. We told you and you had to touch the stove anyway.
Award-winning Somali referee, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, has been removed from the World Cup roster after being denied entry to the US despite holding a valid visa.
Ulf Barkbröd Birkenstock49All referees should boycott now! US can find their own shitty referees.
jakeofnotrades.bsky.social36A bigger part of this story is that neither FIFA nor any of his fellow referees are standing up for him. Cowards. The whole lot.
Kees van der Leun19This of course should be reason for the teams not to play until the referee has been admitted again.
Michael11Not just disgust at this man's treatment, but sickened at the proof of corruption at highest level of FIFA. Not only bought but dropped into a brown paper bag.
Hirut10Shameful and disgusting behavior by our government just simply to appease Israel’s hate for Muslims.
Olivier Panhuys8What do you expect from USA? I recommend you inspection of Senegal squad at arrival in USA bsky.app/profile/paul...
meeele.bsky.social7Why ANYONE would come to America for the World Cup is beyond me. There should have been worldwide protests! Fuck the 🍊 💩, his family, the unqualified administration, the GOP and the billionaire sycophants.
jordy6And we all know why. And spineless and corrupt #FIFA and #Infantino are fine with it. #Artan #WorldCup #football #soccer
gozion6like berlin 1936 olympics in too many ways.
Doc Sarvis6FIFA, a bully you cannot count on except to bend over for any rich idiot/autocrat
Judith Paterson6This is what happens when a banana republic is allowed to co host the Football World Cup. Shame on all who are allowing this to happen. The convicted felon currently occupying the White House should have a travel ban placed on him.
𝕃𝕒𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕄5The World Cup is a huge money making , corrupt enterprise- just have nothing to do with it. Ignore it , ignore the crap in billionaire owned news media - just do something else.
Leena St. Michael4Rigging the refs? The same way that Trump & Co. gut the DOJ and rule of law, they are apparently gutting the referee team. He’s Black, he’s Somali (a Trump nemesis country), he’s a visible target and Trump is in cahoots w FIFA.
Andy AVAV Systems4It’s a joke. FIFA need to stop sucking Donnie’s Dick & stand up for the rules of fairness & justice. Shameful
Arabella4Because Trump hates Ilhan Omar.💔
minion of midas3Wtaf? FIFA caved on that!?
Eric H.3Don't go. Don't watch. #BoycotWorldcup26
The Air Is Heavy™️2How long before the US athletes get denied entry into other countries because of this bullshit?
nycjae204.bsky.social2The World Cup should not have been held in the United States under this administration. It should have been relocated
Flip Switch 🍉🟥2Al teams should leave the USA and boycott #FIFAWC26 by not playing in the USA
diablorouge.bsky.social2Time for Africa to to stop this US shitshow. CAF should instruct all African teams to withdraw from the World Cup, if our ref is not allowed to officiate. This, however, will not happen as the federations that comprise FIFA are all as corrupt as Infantino and the US Orange Fart.
Joe St Clair-Ford2Anyone who attends this thing is okay with racism.
warhawk25.bsky.social2WTF? I suppose Trump thinks he can do a better job?
xzogdrothx2He should have bribed a FIFA official if he wanted to referee, it's not hard
We are reaching Onion levels of racist discrimination by US authorities in advance of the World Cup. Africa’s best referee denied entry apparently because he is Somali. JD Vance probably personally took care of that case.
spincast-ag300.bsky.social5Oh no, it’s definitely a twofer, not only is he Somalian, aka not white, he’s REALLY good at what he does, and that scares the crap out of lazy, incompetent white men more than anything else.
Jeff, formerly of MN and MA, still God of Cookies3That was the first thing that hit me, and the immediate connection to Ilhan Omar, the occupation of the Twin Cities, and efforts to create accelerated mass-deportation processing for Somalis. Stephen Miller's evil is beyond my capacity to describe.
Alan Rudy2It'd be a shame if a good number of referees refused their assignments - or even minimally worked to rule - in protest.
Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan chosen by FIFA for World Cup has been denied entry to the USA, he was elected as best Africa referee by CAF in 2025 One of the best on the African continent, has reportedly been denied entry to the US by the authorities. He has been sent back to Turkey.
joleno_. 🧙🏾♂️52everything people said would happen in Russia 18' are happening at USA 26' Cup
stevedoug22Time for the world of football to walk away with their heads held high. Neither FIFA nor the US are fit to stage a World Cup.
greenegg9There are going to be a lot more stories like this before it's over, or most likely, before it's even started.
FFS 🤦🏻 Somalian referee Omar Artan has reportedly been denied entry to the USA. FIFA had selected the official to be at the World Cup, but he was stopped by immigration officials in Miami. He is rated one of Africa’s top referees but apparently even a diplomatic passport isn’t enough if your Somali
brianj88.bsky.social12America is a disgrace. #boycotttheworldcup
Cool G12I hope the other referees show solidarity and demand he is allowed or they'll down whistles.
Martin B5Also, from the Guardian report…
1977_Terri5This is just the beginning. Wait until the stories about how fans get treated start. Worst place to be holding it imo
snowyd70.bsky.social2In a just world, FIFA would impose a points deduction on the US team for this flagrant bollocks.
