White House says Somali World Cup referee was denied entry to US over ‘terror links’

He was set to become the first Somali to officiate at the World Cup

Omar Artan was set to become the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup match, however, he was stopped by US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) when he arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday.

According to CBP, Artan was deemed inadmissible due to “vetting concerns”, though no further details were provided.

A FIFA spokesperson confirmed yesterday (9 June) that Artan would miss out on the tournament, which starts across the US, Mexico and Canada tomorrow (11 June).

The spokesperson said: "FIFA can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States.

"FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan's status will not be changed at present.

"In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country."

Now, the Trump administration has spoken out on the decision to deny Artan entry to the US.

A White House official said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection determined Artan was a threat to national security due to "terror links".

On the condition of anonymity, the official told reporters: “Upon further inspection by CBP, derogatory information, including association with suspected members of terror organisations, was discovered."

“President Trump’s administration will not allow any security threat to enter our country, full stop.”

Artan, who was named the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) referee of the year in 2025, insisted he remained "in a positive mood" and was "focused on the next challenges in my career," per Sky News.

He continued: "I would like to thank FIFA and CAF for all their support, and I promise to keep my refereeing levels up as I concentrate on the future.

"I want to thank the football family for their messages and wish my colleagues all the best success during the World Cup, and I look forward to joining them again in future competitions."

Somalia is among the countries included on Donald Trump’s travel ban list, announced last year as part of the government’s broader immigration crackdown.

However, the Department of State went even further in January and suspended immigrant visas from 75 countries, including Somalia, Haiti and Iran.

According to Sky Sports News, Artan believed he had a valid visa to work in the US.

The Somali community has also faced widespread criticism from Mr Trump, who has previously described them as “garbage”.