Mogadishu. Somali soccer referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan on Wednesday said the decision to bar him entry to the United States for the World Cup was "fate" and urged his fellow Somalis not to lose heart over it.
Artan, Africa's referee of the year in 2025, had been set to become the first Somali to officiate at soccer's global showpiece, but was turned back by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over the weekend.
The Trump administration said on Tuesday the US had denied Artan entry for the World Cup because of his links to "suspected members of terror organizations".
"What happened has happened and it was fate. I am grateful for the support FIFA gave me," Artan told reporters after arriving in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, and urged his supporters to stand behind their country.
“Somalia is ours, whether things are good or bad. I want to tell our youth not to lose hope in our country,” he said. "I am now in my country, and there is no other place I want to be."
