MOGADISHU — Somali referee Omar Artan will receive his full FIFA World Cup 2026 fee despite being denied entry to the United States and missing the tournament, according to reports.Artan, the 2025 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men's Referee of the Year, was stopped by US immigration authorities upon arrival at Miami International Airport and was later informed that he would not be allowed to enter the country.The 34-year-old said he was questioned for 11 hours about alleged links to the Somali militant group Al Shabab, allegations he denied."I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa," Artan said. "I'm just simply a referee who's trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup."After being returned to Turkey, Artan received assistance from FIFA officials in Istanbul before traveling back to Somalia.According to BBC Sport, FIFA has committed to paying Artan his full tournament salary even though he will not officiate any matches at the World Cup.A US government official said the referee was denied entry because of an alleged "association with suspected members of terror organisations."Despite the setback, Artan has already received another major international appointment after being selected to officiate the UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg on Aug. 12.Speaking after returning home to a warm reception in Mogadishu, Artan thanked the Somali people for their support and vowed to pursue his dream of officiating at the 2030 World Cup.Artan enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2025, becoming the first Somali referee to oversee a continental final when he took charge of the second leg of the CAF Champions League final between Pyramids FC and Mamelodi Sundowns.He also officiated at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Chile and handled matches at consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, cementing his reputation as one of Africa's leading referees.