US denies entry to Somali arbitrator over suspected terror links

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artani has been denied entry to the United States, resulting in his removal from the 2026 World Cup refereeing team. According to Mundo Deportivo, the authorities' decision stems from suspected links to terrorist organizations. The incident occurred on June 6, after the referee arrived in Miami, where Customs and Border Protection officers, during an additional investigation, revealed Artani's links to individuals suspected of participating in terrorist groups, which led to his deportation.

Artan, named the 2025 African Referee of the Year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), was expected to become the first Somali to officiate a World Cup match. Andrew Giuliani, the director of the White House World Cup task force, confirmed that there was "good cause" for the travel ban, citing data from the US Department of Homeland Security.

Based on the fact that the Somali judge had a valid US visa, US authorities took strict measures against a citizen of a country that is on the list of countries subject to immigration restrictions by the Donald Trump administration for national security reasons.