Omar Abdulkadir Artan will not be able to coach and referee during the 2026 World Cup after he was denied entry to the United States, a spokesman for the International Football Federation (FIFA) told the AFP news agency.
The referee was stopped at an airport in Miami on Saturday, even though, according to Ciise Aden Abshir, an advisor to Somalia's Ministry of Youth and Sports, he had a visa.
"The traveler, a referee in the World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to background screening concerns," the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement.
Somalia is one of several countries subject to a strict travel ban under President Donald Trump's administration.
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