Over 100 fans gathered at Adan Adde Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, on 10/6 to welcome football referee Omar Artan. They waved Somali flags, chanted Artan's name, and surrounded the 34-year-old referee as he disembarked from a Turkish Airlines flight, AFP described.
Artan was then draped with the national flag and escorted by police to the airport's VIP area, where government officials and members of the Somali Football Federation awaited.
The welcome followed an unprecedented move by the US, which denied Artan entry to participate in the 2026 World Cup. The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced on 8/6 that Artan would not be able to participate in training or officiate at the tournament. US authorities denied him entry when he arrived at Miami International Airport, Florida, on 6/6.
A US State Department official stated on 9/6 that Artan "has ties to suspected members of terrorist organizations", thus "is ineligible for entry into the US".
Artan was honored as Africa's best male referee in 2025 and selected by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to officiate at the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, starting on 11/6. If this had happened, he would have been the first Somali referee to officiate at the tournament.
Despite the setback, Artan remained resolute. "I will participate in the next World Cup and continue to make Somalia proud. I am not discouraged, despite what just happened to me", Artan told reporters.
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Referee Omar Artan (shoulder draped with Somali flag) was welcomed by fans upon his return to Mogadishu, Somalia, on 10/6. Photo: AFP |
The US's denial of Artan's entry sparked outrage in Somalia, with many fans calling for a boycott of the World Cup. "They treated him unfairly, hurting all those who care about humanitarian values", Mohamed Said, a Mogadishu government official, said at Adan Adde Airport.
Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, from neighboring Ethiopia, stated on 9/6 that the milestone Artan would have achieved at this year's World Cup "remains valid regardless of what happens". "He has reached the pinnacle of his career and inspired a generation at home. Being prevented from participating in the match Artan deserves cannot change that", Mr. Ghebreyesus wrote on X.
