Press reports said on Monday that US authorities prevented Somali referee Omar Artan from entering its territory, despite his selection by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to officiate a number of World Cup matches.
According to what the “Daily Somalia” website reported from sources in the Somali Football Federation, Artan was arrested at Miami International Airport before being returned to Istanbul, where he had arrived from Turkey.
According to the information, Al-Hakam had first gone to Nairobi to obtain a diplomatic passport, in the absence of an American embassy in Somalia, before he later left for the United States via Turkey.
However, the US authorities considered that a diplomatic passport was insufficient for entry, which led to him being banned from entering the country and deported immediately.
Artan is considered one of the most prominent referees in Africa, as he won the Best African Referee Award for the year 2025 awarded by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and he also officiated the CAF Champions League final between Pyramids and Mamelodi Sundowns last year.
He had entered history as the first Somali referee to participate in the World Cup, before his last trip ended in ban and forced return. (Sky News)
