Players.bio is a large online platform sharing the best live coverage of your favourite sports: Football, Golf, Rugby, Cricket, F1, Boxing, NFL, NBA, plus the latest sports news, transfers & scores. Exclusive interviews, fresh photos and videos, breaking news. Stay tuned to know everything you wish about your favorite stars 24/7. Check our daily updates and make sure you don't miss anything about celebrities' lives.
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.
MOGADISHU: Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States for the World Cup, returned to a hero’s welcome in Mogadishu and vowed to take part in the next tournament in 2030. “I will be at the next World Cup and will continue to make Somalia proud... Despite what has happened to me, I am not discouraged,” Artan told more than 100 supporters and journalists at Mogadishu’s main airport.
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')
Artan sejatinya jadi salah satu dari 52 wasit yang memimpin laga-laga di pesta sepakbola dunia itu. Namun, Artan harus mengubur impiannya karena ditolak masuk AS oleh Imigrasi Bandara Miami akhir pekan kemarin.
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.
A United States official said Tuesday night that Omar Artan, the Somalian soccer referee who was denied entry into the country ahead of the World Cup, was refused admission due to «association with suspected members of terror organizations.»
Piala Dunia 2026 justru lebih terasa riuh karena kabar-kabar miring alih-alih soal antusiasme dan atmosfernya, jelang pembukaan turnamen. Salah satu isu yang mencuat dan memicu kritik keras adalah penolakan masuk wasit Somalia Omar Abdulkadir Artan ke Amerika Serikat.