Omar Abdulkadir Artan, a 34‑year‑old Somali referee and the Confederation of African Football’s Referee of the Year 2025, was denied entry to the United States on Monday at Miami International Airport despite holding a diplomatic passport and a single‑entry U.S. visa.
A Trump‑era travel ban list, still in effect, included Somalia. Customs and Border Protection officials reported that they found evidence of “associations with suspected members of terror organisations” and therefore refused him admission under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Artan told the New York Times that he explained to the border officials he had no links to the Somali militant group Al Shabab and that the allegations were unfounded. He was later returned to Somalia and greeted by the Somali Football Federation, government officials and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at Mogadishu’s Presidential Palace.
The incident comes just weeks before the 2030 FIFA World Cup, for which Artan was among the 52 referee nominees. Without U.S. entry, he cannot travel to the training base in Florida that hosts on‑pitch officials.
Artan expressed disappointment over the denial but reaffirmed his commitment to officiate at the next World Cup and encouraged Somali youth to stay hopeful about their nation’s future.
For more on this story, read the New York Times article.
