Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States for the FIFA World Cup 2026, returned to a hero’s welcome in Mogadishu and vowed to take part in the next tournament in 2030.
More than 100 supporters lined up outside the VIP section of Mogadishu’s main airport, waving national flags as Artan disembarked from a Turkish Airlines flight to cheers.
“I will be at the next World Cup and will continue to make Somalia proud… Despite what has happened to me, I am not discouraged,” Artan told journalists.
Artan’s rejection has sparked outrage at home.
“They wronged him in a way that hurts everybody who is concerned about humanity,” Mohamed Said, a Mogadishu government official, said at the airport.
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Artan, who in 2025 was named men’s referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), was barred from entering the USA on Saturday after arriving at Miami International Airport.
A US State Department official told AFP late Tuesday that the referee was “associated with suspected members of terrorist organisations”, therefore “making the traveller ineligible for admission to the United States”.
FIFA also confirmed that he would no longer be part of the World Cup, set to start on Thursday.
Artan’s appointment to the 52-strong roster of referees for the finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States had been a huge source of pride for his compatriots.
Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said in April he was “a symbol of inspiration for the new generation of Somalis”.
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