Somali referee says World Cup 'dream' ruined

Somali referee Omar Artan said the "biggest dream of my life" had been ripped away after he was denied entry to the United States to officiate at the World Cup.

Artan, who was named referee of the year in 2025 by the Confederation of African Football, has been dropped from FIFA's list of officials after he was refused entry to the United States on arriving in Miami on Saturday.

Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump's administration as part of a broader immigration crackdown.

A US State Department official told AFP late Tuesday that the referee was "associated with suspected members of terrorist organizations," therefore "making the traveler ineligible for admission to the United States."

After an 11-hour interview with border officials, Artan said he was taken to a separate holding cell where he was detained for several further hours before being put on a flight back to Istanbul.

"I'm just simply a referee who's trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup," Artan told the New York Times on Tuesday in a telephone interview from the Turkish city.

"I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa," he added.

FIFA said it was powerless to influence the decision, which it said was the sole preserve of tournament co-hosts the United States.