Omar Artan was to become the first Somali football referee at the World Cup finals, but after he was denied entry to the US, where this year’s important football tournament is taking place, he has been removed from the list of referees, writes the BBC.
Artan had arrived at Miami airport when he was informed that he had been denied entry. Currently, the football referee is in Turkey, while the American authorities have not provided further explanations about the reasons for the expulsion of the Somali. True, Somalia is on the list of countries whose citizens, according to the decision of the Donald Trump administration, are denied entry to the US.
After talking with the US authorities, FIFA representatives informed that Artan will not participate in the tournament. The organization said in a statement that it was not involved in the host country’s immigration procedures, including visa regulations, and authorities had indicated that Artan’s status would not be changed at this time. As with previous FIFA tournaments, the host country’s government determines who receives a visa and is allowed to enter the country.
The head of the referees’ group, Pierluigi Collina, has set up a training center in Miami for the tournament’s 52 referees and 88 assistant referees. All involved must remain at the center in Florida for security reasons, so
there is no possibility that Artan could be outside the US and referee only matches that will be held in Mexico or Canada.
A senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports confirmed that Artan had not been allowed to enter the United States, adding that the referee was traveling with valid documents. A spokesman for the Somali embassy in Nairobi told the BBC that Artan had been specially issued a diplomatic passport to make travel easier after the man had already faced visa problems. Artan himself said that despite the circumstances, he was in a positive mood and was preparing for the challenges ahead. He thanked FIFA for its support and promised to maintain a high standard of refereeing in football matches. “I want to thank the football family for their messages and wish my colleagues all the best success during the World Cup and I look forward to joining them again in future competitions.”
The Somali Football Federation has contacted FIFA for an explanation of what happened.
Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House World Cup task force, told the BBC that he could not be dismissive, but could confirm that the decision by Customs and Border Protection was the right one and that he supported it.
The World Cup will be held from the 11th of June to the 19th of July.
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