A Somali referee acclaimed as the best in Africa has reportedly been denied entry to the United States and sent on a flight back to Istanbul upon arrival at Miami Airport.

Omar Artan was set to become the first Somalian to officiate a World Cup match. He was denied entry to the United States on Monday at Miami International Airport.

A Somali referee acclaimed as the best in Africa has reportedly been denied entry to the United States and sent on a flight back to Istanbul upon arrival at Miami Airport.

Award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan, set to be the first from his country to officiate at the World Cup finals, was denied entry to the United States, a sports ministry…

Award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan, set to be the first from his country to officiate at the World Cup, was denied entry to the United...

Omar Artan was going to be the first Somalian to officiate at a World Cup but was refused entry at Miami airport despite a valid travel visa

Somali referee Omar Artan, who was set to make history as the first official from his country to officiate at a FIFA World Cup, has reportedly been denied entry into the United…

Somali referee Omar Artan has been denied entry into the United States after getting selected to officiate in the World Cup

The referee was "determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry," a CBP spokesperson said, without going into further detail.

A Somali referee on course to become the first official from the Horn of Africa nation to work at a FIFA World Cup finals tournament has been refused entry...

A Somali referee on course to become the first official from the Horn of Africa nation to work at a FIFA World Cup finals tournament has been refused entry...

Award-winning referee Omar Artan was 'determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns' after arriving in Miami.

June 8 : The United States denied entry to a Somali referee who arrived in the country over the weekend to officiate games during the FIFA World Cup, the U.S. Customs and Border…

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan has been ruled out of officiating at the 2026 World Cup after being denied entry to the United States, FIFA said Monday, in a decision that…

Award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan has been dropped from officiating at the World Cup after being barred from entering the United States, world football's governing body FIFA…

Highly rated Somali referee Omar Artan is turned away from the US just days before he was expected to officiate in the FIFA World Cup.

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan has been barred from officiating at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after being denied entry into the U.S.

A Somali referee was on Monday dropped from the World Cup after he was denied entry to the United States, reigniting concerns about how Donald Trump's immigration crackdown could…

US Customs and Border Protection said Monday that a Somali national who was planning to referee in the World Cup had been denied entry after arriving to Miami International…

Somali referee Omar Artan, who was set to be the first from his country to officiate at the World Cup finals, has been denied entry to the United States.

It comes after several incidents that have put US immigration and border enforcement into the spotlight ahead of the World Cup.