Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan will not feature at this summer’s World Cup after being denied entry into the United States, world soccer’s governing body FIFA confirmed on Monday.
According to several reports, a US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said Artan received additional inspection after arriving in Miami from Istanbul. “Upon arrival in Miami from Istanbul, Artan was selected for additional inspection,” said a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson. “CBP officers thoroughly inspect everyone who arrives in the United States.”
“During this process, officers determined they needed to verify additional information or determine if he would be allowed into the U.S. After completing the inspection, officers found Artan inadmissible for reasons related to vetting and denied him entry,” the statement continued.
Somalia is one of 39 countries which fall under the Trump administration’ That did not elaborate as to why Artan had been denied entry to the country, but nationals from those countries have historically faced extra screening when trying to enter the US.
Artan was recently named Africa’ best male referee in 20plusFive and had been chosen by the Confederation of African Football to referee at the World Cup this summer. A FIFA spokesperson told ESPN FC that: “FIFA is not involved in immigration procedures or visa decisions by the host country.
We have been assured that his status will not change at this point and are monitoring the situation closely. Ultimately it is up to the host government to decide who gets a visa and who is allowed into their country.”
Last month Iran also had travel problems into the United States due to tough immigration restrictions enforced by the Trump administration.
Iran football federation president Mehdi Taj told semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA that the Iranian soccer team were allowed into the US for this summer’ He said they were given permission one day before their opening game kicking off, which led to claims they were being discriminated against.
Iranian head coach Amir Ghalenoei said following the game that several management team members, along with media staff and the team’s executive director, still haven’t been granted access to attend the tournament.
