Ref Gets Fee
Somali referee Omar Artan to receive full FIFA World Cup fee despite US entry denial
Omar Artan, the Somali referee denied entry to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, will receive his full tournament fee from FIFA despite never officiating a single game, NBC Boston reported. The fee — estimated at around $100,000 — will be calculated once the tournament ends.
Artan was detained for 11 hours at Miami International Airport on June 6 before being turned away. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said he was "determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns." He had been named Africa's best male referee in 2025 and was set to become the first Somali to officiate a World Cup match, according to NBC Philadelphia.
How a Valid Visa Still Ended at the Border
Artan arrived at Miami International Airport with a valid U.S. visa issued through the Somali Embassy in Kenya. Despite that, border agents held him for an 11-hour interrogation before turning him away. He returned to Mogadishu, where hundreds of supporters greeted him as a hero, NBC Chicago reported.
A U.S. administration official later told CBS News that the denial was based on "derogatory information" tied to "association with suspected members of terror organizations." Artan pushed back strongly. "I had the right papers and everything," he said. "I'm just simply a referee who's trying to live his dream. I think they have a problem with my country."
Travel Ban Left Somalia With No Easy Path In
Somalia has been under a U.S. travel ban since June 2025, when President Trump signed a proclamation citing "identity-management and information-sharing inadequacies." By January 2026, the ban expanded to cover 39 countries. Somalia remained under "full suspension," meaning all visas were technically barred without a national interest waiver, according to NBC Washington.
FIFA had promised that qualified officials from affected nations would get national interest waivers. That promise proved inconsistent. Andrew Giuliani of the White House FIFA Task Force defended the denial, saying the administration "will not allow any security threat to enter our country."
FIFA Pays the Fee but Stays Out of the Fight
A person with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that FIFA will pay Artan his full fee once the tournament wraps up. FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the situation "unfortunate" but said FIFA "cannot dictate to governments." Critics have called that position a way of washing its hands of responsibility for an official it hand-picked, according to NBC Connecticut.
At Qatar 2022, lead officials earned around $70,000. The 2026 baseline has risen to an estimated $100,000 — nearly double. But the money does not replace the career opportunity. Artan loses the prestige and match-bonus potential that come with knockout-round assignments, which can define a referee's legacy.
UEFA Steps In With a Show of Solidarity
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin moved quickly after Artan's removal. He appointed Artan to officiate the UEFA Super Cup in August 2026. "Football is made to connect people," Čeferin said, "and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar." The gesture was widely seen as a direct rebuke of both the U.S. government and FIFA's muted response.
The case is already being watched as a warning sign for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Officials and advocates fear athletes from the 39 banned countries could face the same fate, regardless of their credentials. Somalia's Ministry of Youth and Sports said the decision "undermined football's commitment to fair play," according to NBC San Diego.
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