Omar Abdulkadir Artan was prevented from entering the country to work on the World Cup and was held for 11 hours in Miami
FIFA will pay in full the salary agreed to Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was prevented from entering the United States during the 2026 World Cup. The information was released this Sunday (June 14, 2026) by the British newspaper .
Artan was held for 11 hours at Miami airport for an immigration interview on June 7, 2026, but US authorities rejected his diplomatic passport on the grounds that he would have “links with terrorists”. Then the referee was deported to Turkey.
Considered the best referee on the African continent, the professional received a warm welcome upon his return to Somalia.
“I think they have a problem with my country”said the referee when commenting on the case. Artan stated that he presented all the documentation required to work in the United States and declared that he was “very disappointed” with the situation.
UEFA the Somali to referee the European Super Cup final. The clash will be between Paris Saint-Germain, two-time Champions League champion, and Aston Villa, winner of the Europa League. The match will take place on August 12th in Salzburg, Austria, and opens the European season.
WORLD CUP
The World Cup is a private, profit-making sporting event. It is carried out every 4 years by . Teams qualify through knockouts. The technical committee and squad of each team competing in the competition are chosen by private entities.
In the case of Brazil, it is up to defining who the coach is and which players are “called up” (in reality, everyone is invited and whoever is interested goes; as the commercial gain from marketing is great, the athletes respond to the “call up”).
The Brazilian government has no influence on choosing the team that participates in the tournament. In other words, it is not the country that is represented in the World Cup, but a football team chosen by a private entity.
