Somali football referee who was denied US entry says what happened was 'fate'

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.

Artan, Africa's referee of the year in 2025, had been set to become the first Somali to officiate at football's global showpiece, but was turned back by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over the weekend.

The Trump administration said on Tuesday the US had denied Artan entry for the World Cup because of his links to "suspected members of terror organizations".

"What happened has happened and it was fate. I am grateful for the support FIFA gave me," Artan told reporters after arriving in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, and urged his supporters to stand behind their country.

“Somalia is ours, whether things are good or bad. I want to tell our youth not to lose hope in our country,” he said. "I am now in my country, and there is no other place I want to be."

The Trump administration's strict immigration policies have been a point of concern before the World Cup, with Washington imposing a sweeping travel ban last year on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia.

A FIFA spokesperson said Artan would now not be able to train or officiate at the tournament, which is being held in the US, Mexico and Canada and starts on Thursday. 

FANS UPSET

The news was greeted with bitter disappointment by Somali soccer fans who had been eagerly anticipating Artan's presence at the tournament.

"It would have been a massive moment not just for him, but for the rest of us and Africa," Abdifatah, a student who gave only his first name, told Reuters.

Photographer Najib A Farah, 26, described the decision as "shameful".

"Omar Artan was