A Somali referee who was due to officiate at the World Cup has been denied entry to the United States and will no longer be able to participate in the tournament, FIFA confirmed Monday.

Omar Artan arrived at Miami International Airport on a flight from Istanbul on Saturday but was barred from entering the country following a “routine” inspection, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed in a statement to The Athletic.

Artan, the 2025 Confederation of African Football men’s referee of the year, was one of 52 referees handpicked by world governing body and World Cup organiser FIFA for the tournament in the U.S., Canada and Mexico this summer.

He was due to be the first official from his country to officiate at a World Cup. But now, he “will be unable to train and officiate” at the tournament, FIFA confirmed in a statement.

In an interview with The New York Times from Istanbul, Artan revealed he was interviewed for 11 hours by border officials, during which he showed them documentation from FIFA and photographs from his career as a referee.

“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” he said.

“I think that they have a problem with my country,” added Artan, who plans to return to Somalia from Turkey on Wednesday.

Executive director of the White House’s World Cup Task Force Andrew Giuliani said in a press briefing on Tuesday Artan was denied entry for “very good reason”, and that he wants to make sure no “bad actors” get into the U.S.

“Despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career,” the referee said in a statement on his social media, the same day.

“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.”

In a statement, CBP did not give a specific reason for denying entry to Artan but Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration.

A CBP spokesperson said: “On June 6, a Somali national arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul International Airport. During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility.

“Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.

“All travelers seeking entry into the United States, including athletes, coaches, and staff, are subject to CBP inspection and vetting. Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection. CBP officers have the authority to question travelers, conduct inspections, and determine admissibility consistent with U.S. law.”

On announcing its list of World Cup officials in April, FIFA said it had conducted a “meticulous and comprehensive selection process spanning over three years”. At the time, FIFA said all the tournament officials were due to arrive in Miami on May 31.

Speaking last August about the immigration process for the World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said, “I think it’s important to clarify this. There is a lot of misconception out there. Everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States for the FIFA World Cup next year. We are working exactly for that.”

On Monday, a FIFA 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.”

An official in the Somali national football league championships, Artan became a FIFA referee in 2018 and has officiated at the African Cup of Nations.

Piara Power, executive director of the FARE network, an organisation that aims to tackle discrimination in football, called on FIFA to do more to “counter the instincts” of the U.S. administration.

“It is pretty clear that the fears of an ideological and discriminatory visa policy from the U.S government is being realised,” Power said.

“Never have we seen the farce of an official FIFA referee being refused entry as he arrives for final preparations. Never have we seen a player being pulled aside at an airport and questioned for so long.

“And never have we seen so many World Cup coaches, team operations, fans and even senior administrators within FIFA member associations, subject to so much interrogation and exclusion.

“The disruption is such that one has to ask who is running the World Cup. Is it FIFA or is it the US government with its racially charged immigration policies? Before a ball has been kicked, the sense that this World Cup is anything but the celebration of global humanity a World Cup should be is beginning to take over.

“As fans, journalists and others arrive in the U.S this week FIFA needs to do much more to counter the instincts of the U.S government. This is a global football celebration and it requires people from around the world to travel to the host countries. It is not an exercise in state power by a government intent on wrecking it for some people.”

Additional reporting: Dan Sheldon