Read 3 minutes14 Jun 2026 04:25 PM IST
Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, whose hopes of making history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup were dashed after being denied entry to the United States, will receive the full financial package set for tournament officials despite taking no part in the tournament.
FIFA has decided to honor Artan’s payment even though the 34-year-old will not be officiating in any matches after US immigration authorities prevented him from entering the country, according to a BBC report. The match officials are informed of their final salary only after the tournament is over.
Artan traveled to Miami to report for FIFA’s pre-World Cup referees’ camp ahead of the tournament. Instead, he spent nearly 11 hours being questioned by border officials before being informed that he would not be admitted. He had a diplomatic passport as well as a valid single-entry US visa issued for the World Cup.
A US government official later said the decision was based on alleged ties to individuals suspected of belonging to terrorist organizations. Artan vehemently denied any such association and said authorities had asked him about the Somali terrorist group Al Shabaab but he knew nothing about the organization.
The referee insisted he had met every requirement before traveling and believed all his documents were in order.
“I had the right documents and everything. I had the right visa,” Artan said after the test.
“I’m just a referee and trying to fulfill the biggest dream of my career by working in the World Cup.”
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After being put on the return flight to Turkey, Artan received assistance from FIFA representatives in Istanbul before continuing his journey to Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
Artan’s status in the game has not been diminished by this setback. UEFA appointed him to referee the UEFA Super Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg on 12 August, an appointment widely seen as recognition of his performance and support following his World Cup disappointment.
Artan returned home to a warm welcome and thanked the Somali people for standing by him in difficult times. He pledged to continue pursuing his ambitions for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
His rise in recent years has been one of the remarkable success stories of African football. In 2025, he became the first Somali referee to take charge of a continental club final when he officiated the second leg of the CAF Champions League final between Pyramids FC and Mamelodi Sundowns.
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FIFA also selected him for the Under-20 World Cup in Chile, where he managed three matches, including a third-place playoff. He later took charge of group-stage fixtures at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024, having previously worked at the continental tournament.
This performance earned Artan the Confederation of African Football’s Men’s Referee of the Year award in 2025, establishing him as one of the continent’s leading match officials.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has criticized the handling of Artan’s case, arguing that World Cup host nations should guarantee the safety and unrestricted access of all eligible teams, officials and referees. In a post on X on Saturday, Blatter said preventing FIFA-appointed referees from participating was against those principles and warned that football’s universality must never be compromised.