Even before the start of FIFA World Cup 2026, there is an uproar over America’s visa policy. Now a referee from Somalia, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, has been denied entry to the United States, knocking him out of the tournament.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Updates: Somalia’s referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan has not got entry into America, hence he will not be able to participate in this time’s World Cup. This news has been confirmed by FIFA itself. The surprising thing is that now FIFA does not seem to be standing with the referee who was selected for the World Cup on the basis of his ability. FIFA did not put any pressure on the Donald Trump administration to grant entry to Artan and silently accepted America’s decision. After this incident, serious questions are being raised on the role of FIFA.
Why was the entry not found?
A spokesperson for the US Customs and Border Protection department said, ‘This person had reached Miami on a flight from Istanbul. He was subjected to additional scrutiny during the immigration process. This investigation is done when information about someone has to be verified or to decide whether he should be allowed to enter America or not. After investigation it was decided that this World Cup referee is ‘inadmissible’. He was not given entry to America due to ‘health reasons’.
Ban on citizens of Somalia
Somalia is also included in the list of 39 countries whose citizens have been banned from granting visas by the Trump administration. It is believed that this is the reason why Artan was not allowed to enter America. Although the US Customs Department has not given much information on this, the reason is clearly understood since Artan is a Somali citizen. This is where FIFA’s role is under question. FIFA should have talked to the US government on the issue of visa or entry, but it did not do anything like that.