“That wasn't nice to read" – Völler critiques USA denying Somalian referee entry

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·10 June 2026

“That wasn't nice to read" – Völler critiques USA denying Somalian referee entry

Rudi Völler has spoken out against Somalian World Cup referee Omar Artan being denied entry into the United States.

The top FIFA listed referee had all his required documents, but was stopped at Miami airport by US Customs and Border Protection.

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“That [his denial of entry] wasn't nice to read,” the DFB sporting director explained in an interview with Kicker.de.

"But I don't know the exact background why he was not admitted. That's why I can't judge that. I'm not afraid to answer political questions.

“But of course we are also the wrong people to talk to. We are concentrating on football,” Völler went on to say.

The 1990 World Cup winner with Germany concluded that he also sees more problems inbound: "My gut feeling tells me that this won't be the last story."

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“That wasn't nice to read" – Völler critiques USA denying Somalian referee entry | OneFootball

“That wasn't nice to read" – Völler critiques USA denying Somalian referee entry

OneFootball Videos

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