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MOGADISHU: Somali football referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan said on Wednesday (Jun 10) the decision to bar him entry to the United States for the World Cup was "fate" and urged his fellow Somalis not to lose heart over it.
MEXICO CITY: FIFA President Gianni Infantino is set to face the media on the eve of the World Cup on Wednesday, as off-field distractions dogged the build-up to the tournament. Infantino is likely to face tough questions about sky-high ticket prices and an immigration crackdown that has seen a top referee, fans and team officials barred from co-hosts the United States. The head of world football’s governing body will give a rare press conference in Mexico City, where co-hosts Mexico play South Africa on Thursday in the opening match at the Estadio Azteca. The 2026 men’s World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams and is the biggest and most ambitious in the event’s history, with matches also taking place in Canada. But the refusal of US immigration authorities to allow Somali referee Omar Artan, one of Africa’s leading match officials, into the country underlined fears that Donald Trump’s immigration policy could leave deep scars on the football extravaganza. Artan said the “biggest dream of my life” had been ripped away after he was turned back at the US border. “I am very, very disappointed,” Artan told The New York Times. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.” Artan, who was named the 2025 men’s referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football, would have been the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup. He said he was subjected to an 11-hour interview with border officials at Miami International Airport and then detained for several further hours in a holding cell before being put on a flight back to Turkiye. “I had the right papers and everything.
(CORRECTS headline, first and fourth paragraphs to clarify that Artan said what happened was 'fate')
WASHINGTON: The head of the White House Task Force for the World Cup on Tuesday (Jun 9) defended the decision not to grant visas to a Somali referee and some support staff for the Iranian team.
LOS ANGELES, June 9 : FIFA President Gianni Infantino warned Los Angeles on Tuesday that it was about to be invaded by soccer fans from around the world, as he helped launch World Cup festivities at a star-studded kickoff party at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
BERLIN, June 10 : German retailers expect the soccer World Cup starting on June 11 to provide a modest boost to sales, though the impact will likely be limited to specific sectors because the tournament is being held outside Germany, retail association HDE said on Wednesday.
BEIJING: Chinese football fans left without a national team to support at the World Cup have turned to referee Ma Ning - nicknamed "Card Master" for his enthusiasm in booking players - as the country's representative for the tournament.
June 9 : Somali soccer referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was denied a chance to make his World Cup debut after being barred from entering the United States, thanked FIFA, CAF and the Somali people on Tuesday as he prepared to return home.