Published on
10/06/2026 - 12:06 GMT+2
Somali football referee Omar Artan returned home on Wednesday to a swarm of fans and reporters after being denied entry to the United States ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Crowds gathered at Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport waving Somali flags and brandishing posters while photographers scrambled to capture shots of the referee as he stepped onto the runway.
Artan is one of the world's top-rated officials and had been in line to become the first referee from Somalia to take charge of a World Cup fixture before he was refused entry to the US at Miami International Airport last week.
