FOOTBALL – Somali football referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan returned home to a hero’s welcome yesterday after being barred from entering the US for the World Cup, describing the decision as a matter of “fate” and urging 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 football’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 organisations”.
“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.
“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.”
Later yesterday, thousands of cheering supporters, some carrying flags and photos of Artan, poured into a stadium in Mogadishu, where he was guest of honour at a game.
Many said they were bitterly disappointed by the US decision.
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