Somali referee Omar Artan has been denied entry into the US after being selected to officiate in the World Cup. US Customs and Border Protection confirmed Monday that a Somali national who was planning to referee in the tournament had been turned back after arriving at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday. While the statement didn't name the person, Artan is the only World Cup referee from Somalia, the AP reports. "During processing, the traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP's inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility," the agency said in its statement, adding that the referee was then "determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns."
A Somali sports official, who called Artan "one of Africa's most respected referees," said he had a valid visa but nonetheless had to return to Istanbul, per USA Today. "Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football's commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play," Ciise Aden Abshir told AFP. Artan would have been the first referee from his country to work a World Cup. Somalia is one of the countries President Trump has slapped travel restrictions on, and it's generally not one of his favorite places. "The Somalians should be out of here," he said in December when attacking immigrants in Minnesota. "They've destroyed our country."
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