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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Paul MacInnes and Alexander Abnos

Top African referee Omar Artan refused access to US and will miss World Cup

Omar Artan United States Africa Donald Trump Fifa Somalia a World Cup Football
Omar Artan in action at the 2025 Under-20 World Cup
Omar Artan in action at the 2025 Under-20 World Cup, a Fifa tournament. Photograph: Héctor Vivas/Fifa/Getty Images

A Somali referee, who was set to become the first person from his country to officiate at a World Cup, has been denied access to the US and will not work at the tournament.

Fifa confirmed that Omar Artan “will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026” in a statement issued to media on Monday. The governing body passed responsibility for the situation to the US government, saying that they were “informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present”.

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