Omar Artan gestures during the AFCON Group F match between Gabon and Ivory Coast at Marrakech stadium, Marrakech, Morocco on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto)
Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States for the World Cup, returned to a hero’s welcome in Mogadishu and vowed to take part in the next tournament in 2030.
More than 100 supporters lined up outside the VIP section of Mogadishu’s main airport, waving national flags as Artan disembarked from a Turkish Airlines flight to cheers.
“I will be at the next World Cup and will continue to make Somalia proud… Despite what has happened to me, I am not discouraged,” Artan told journalists.
Artan’s rejection has sparked outrage at home.
