Award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan, denied entry to the US, is set to receive full World Cup compensation from FIFA. [Getty]
Omar Abdulkadir Artan, the Somali referee who was barred from entering the United States to officiate World Cup matches, will receive full pay for the tournament from FIFA, according to a report from Reuters.
Artan arrived in Miami on a flight from Istanbul on June 6, where he was denied entry into the country by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” CBP said in its statement. “Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.”
Artan, 34, earned 2025 Referee of the Year plaudits from the Confederation of African Football. He had previously officiated in two African Cup of Nations.
A year ago, he took charge of his first major continental final, Leg 2 of the 2025 CAF Champions League final between Egypt’s Pyramids FC and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in Cairo on June 1.
In the aftermath of his denial into the United States, UEFA, Europe’s governing body for soccer, selected him to officiate the UEFA Super Cup match between Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain on Aug. 12 in Salzburg, Austria.
“Omar Artan has made Somalia and the entire people of the African Continent, extremely proud. His receipt of the CAF Men’s Referee of the Year Award 2025 and his appointment as a referee of the FIFA World Cup 2026 are a recognition of his world-class refereeing ability and the international respect that he enjoys,” said CAF president Patrice Motsepe.
President Donald Trump’s strict immigration policies have been a point of concern for the World Cup, with Washington imposing a sweeping travel ban last year on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia.
An administration official said on Tuesday that Artan was denied entry because of his links to “suspected members of terror organizations”.
