Hero’s welcome for Somali referee denied US entry for World Cup

Somali football referee Omar Artan received a hero’s welcome on his return home after he was denied entry to the US, a decision that prevented him from officiating at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Senior government officials, including Sports Minister Mohamed Abdulkadir Ali, Defense Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, and senior officials from the Somali Football Federation welcomed him at the Adan Adde International Airport in the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday.

“I can promise you that I will officiate at the next FIFA World Cup and I thank FIFA, the Somali people for their support,” Artan said at a press conference after his arrival.

Artan was set to become the first Somali referee to officiate at a FIFA World Cup.

“Despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career,” he said in a statement earlier.

The Somali Football Federation called Artan’s journey “a source of pride for Somalia, CECAFA (Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations) and African football.”

His denial entry to US sparked international uproar while some football fans called for a World Cup boycott.

Artan was recently named Africa’s Best Referee for 2025 by the Confederation of African Football.

A proclamation issued by US President Donald Trump on June 4, 2025, fully restricts the entry of Somali nationals into the country.

“The entry into the United States of nationals of Somalia as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby fully suspended,” it read.