Somali Ref

The Trump administration said Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan had been denied entry

to the country because of links to “suspected members of terror organisations” making him a “national security threat”.

Artan, who was Africa’s referee of the year in 2025, had been set to become Somalia’s first official at a World Cup but was refused entry to the US by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the weekend. Fifa stated Artan would now not be able to officiate at the tournament, which begins this week and is co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.

The US, which has imposed sweeping travel bans on 12 countries including Somalia under Trump, said on Tuesday that Artan had been deemed a threat to national security by CBP officials. These allegations may sound convincing but Mr Artan was not the only individual denied visa to travel to FIFA world cup in the US. And seems the African continent has been targetted well before the tournament this year, when he put travel sanctions on 13 more African countries in addition to existing sanctioned ones. In May the US foreing affairs department has reduced the US visa issuing consulates from fifty to twenty five to reduce and deter the people from the Third world travelling to united States as many entrants do not return after the expiry of the visa. Donald Trump's administration had no problem allowing over one thousand South Africans Whites to relocate to the States because they were under attack by Black compatriotes which is false and absurd. These are the same people who lived and enjoyed apartheid until 1994. African and race have alot to do with Donald Trump's treatment and the manner in which he's implimenting some laws or sanctions.

Omar Abdulkadir Artan, the African referee of the year in 2025, was denied entry to the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Despite claiming to have the correct visa documentation, he was turned back at Miami International Airport. This incident has sparked international controversy and raised concerns about the fairness and merit of the FIFA selection process. Artan's case highlights the tension between FIFA's global selection system and the power of host nations to control entry.