US responds to Somali referee scandal after Omar Artan denied World Cup entry | OneFootball

Somali official was barred from entering US soil before summer tournament

The United States have issued a statement after Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry ahead of the World Cup.

The official, who was selected as one of 52 referees for this summer’s tournament was turned away at the US border, despite claiming to have the correct paperwork and visa documentation.

Artan was named Africa’s referee of the year in 2025, and he would have been the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup.

That, however, will no longer be the case, after FIFA confirmed that he would not be able to oversee any games on the global stage.

The US immigration policies have tightened once more with Donald Trump in power, with 12 countries barred from entering US soil. Somalia is among them.

An administration official later ​said CBP officials ⁠had determined that Artan was a threat to ‌national security.

"Upon further inspection by CBP, derogatory information, including association with suspected members of terror organizations, was discovered," the official said in comments shared with reporters on condition of anonymity.

‘Bad actors’: Andrew Giuliani

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That made the traveler ineligible for admission to the United States under the Immigration and Nationality ‌Act (INA), the official added.

"President Trump's administration will not allow any security threat to ‌enter our country, full stop."

The Somali government said that they had attempted to negotiate with the US and FIFA to allow Artan to referee at the World Cup.

"His international achievements are a source of honour and pride for the Somali people," the Somali sports ministry said in a statement.

Andrew Giuliani, son of Rudy and executive director of the White House Task Force for the upcoming World Cup, told Sky News that there were "a few things we can't talk about" when asked about Artan.

He added that "anybody who's communicating with bad actors... are not going to be admitted,” while also insisting that the upcoming tournament would be “safe and secure”.