Somali international referee Omar Artan has returned home to a hero’s welcome after being banned from entering the United States.
He was due to officiate at matches during the FIFA World Cup but was turned away at the border in Miami over the weekend, despite having a valid visa.
FIFA subsequently cut him from the tournament’s referee list. His exclusion has sparked outrage across the world.
As Artan disembarked in Mogadishu, supporters waving Somali flags crowded around him before draping him in the flag.
He was set to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA’s final list for the tournament.
Artan is one of Africa’s top football umpires and was named the continent’s best male referee in 2025.
Speaking on his arrival, he thanked the Somali government, the public, and FIFA for their support. Artan said he plans to be at the next World Cup and urged Somali youths to be proud of their country.
“Somalia is ours, whether things are good or bad. I want to tell our youth not to lose hope in our country,” he said.
The Trump administration said Artan was denied entry because of his links to what it described as “suspected members of terror organisations”.
Artan was issued a visa to travel to the US last week, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya that processed it.
The US is co-hosting the tournament with Mexico and Canada, and he was due to meet up with other World Cup referees at their training base in Miami.
The highly unusual move to deny a FIFA-appointed match official permission to enter a World Cup host country has also raised questions about the US’ capacity to host the competition.
Somalia is one of nearly 40 countries subject to new travel restrictions under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
Decades of war and the rise of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab extremist group has limited the potential of many in Somalia.
Although Artan’s denial of entry brought disappointment, his achievement reminded some in the country about what is possible if they chase their dreams.
Writing on X on Tuesday, the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote that Artan’s expected milestone “stands no matter what”.
“You reached the summit of your profession and inspired a generation back home just by getting there, and being kept off the pitch you earned doesn’t change that,” he added.
