Referee Omar Artan, center, of Somalia, is confronted by players after calling a penalty kick during the CAF Champions League final soccer match between AS FAR Rabat and Mamelodi Sundowns, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
By The Canadian Press
Jun 9, 2026 | 4:41 PM
VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier David Eby says a World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States should be allowed to officiate a match in Vancouver instead.
Eby says on social media platform X that Omar Artan “would be welcomed and celebrated in British Columbia for what he’s overcome.”
Artan was going to be the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup, but was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection says in a statement.
FIFA says Artan won’t be able to train or officiate at the World Cup, and it’s up to a host government to decide who is admitted into their country.