US bans entry to Somali referee who was supposed to officiate World Cup matches

US immigration authorities did not release a reason for the denial of entry, but Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list imposed by President Donald Trump's administration.

3800 views 1 comment(s)
Photo: Printscreen YouTube/Al Jazeera
Photo: Printscreen YouTube/Al Jazeera
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Somali soccer referee Omar Artan, who was scheduled to referee matches at the upcoming World Cup, has been banned from entering the United States.

Artan, who was last year's best referee in the Confederation of African Football election, was banned from entering the US at Miami airport and is currently in Turkey, the BBC reported.

US immigration authorities did not release a reason for the denial of entry, but Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list imposed by President Donald Trump's administration.

Artan is one of 52 referees on the list of the International Football Federation (FIFA) for the World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

He was to be the first referee from Somalia to referee at the World Cup. He has been on the FIFA list since 2018 and refereed at the Africa Cup of Nations.

See more: