Khadar Kia

always be yourself 😁

[Khadar Kia @KiaKhadar]

@FabrizioRomano Came on Arsenal

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨🔴⚪️ Arsenal made contact with Atlético Madrid to discuss Julián Álvarez deal conditions.

Direct meeting took place in London with Atléti director Mateu Alemany.

Price currently too high + Julián never opened doors to England so far as wanted to join Barça… but #AFC tried.

🎥➕ https://t.co/5zVWgWXqEV

[𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗝𝗔 @iamjoseh_]

I stand with Somali referee Omar Artan.

[Nick Collins @Nick___Collins]

America is a failed state.

[KOMBO™ @ultimate_kombo]

The is unfair to the Africans going to the US, you cannot be treating professionals like this #omar #fifa #worldcup

[Footy Xtra HQ @footyxtraHQ]

🗣️ Ian Wright has his say on the Somalian referee situation. 🇸🇴

[Dr Fawziya Abikar @AbikarDr]

Our finest African referee of 2025.
Guuleyso!

[New York Post @nypost]

Top African referee refused access to US before World Cup https://t.co/ht9IJK3gKn

[Hodan Ali @hodansomali]

FIFA referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan being denied entry is not just a personal setback.

It reflects a centuries-old pattern where Africa’s resources are welcomed even extracted forcefully, but Africans themselves are humiliated and rejected.

As for the Somali government, they must ask why our passport carries so little weight despite the strategic importance and wealth of the land it represents.

Respect follows self respect & strength. 🇸🇴
#Somalia #Africa #FIFA #OmarArtan

[Ilyas M. Dawaleh @Ilyasdawaleh]

We are all « Omar Abdulkadir Artan ».
It is both unfortunate and disappointing to see Africa’s leading referee, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, denied entry.
His achievements, professionalism, and contributions to the game speak for themselves.
#Africa deserves to see its best talents respected.

🇺🇸 was always a nation that inspired the world through fairness, opportunity, and respect for merit.

Dhammaanteen waxaan garab taagan nahay #Cumar #Cabdulqaadir #Artaan.
#FIFA #Somalia

[African @ali_naka]

Xenophobic countries must stop hosting International Events. Simple

[Saul Staniforth @SaulStaniforth]

"A match official who was set to be the first Somalian to referee at the World Cup finals has been dropped after he was denied entry to the US.."

Why isn't FIFA demanding this decision be reversed? That's a rhetorical question. We all know why.

[New Direction AFRICA @Its_ereko]

🚨 CAF, WHERE IS YOUR VOICE?

Africa’s best referee — Omar Abdulkadir Artan, CAF Referee of the Year 2025 and the first Somali ever selected for the FIFA World Cup — was denied entry into the US despite a diplomatic passport and approved visa. Turned back at the airport like a criminal. No reason given.

This is a direct humiliation of African excellence on the global stage.

CAF — you crowned him the best on the continent. Now you stay silent while one of your own is disrespected by the host nation?

No strong statement. No demand for answers from FIFA or US authorities. No defense of African officials.

This is not leadership. This is complicity in the face of Western arrogance.

Africa’s talent deserves better than puppet organizations that bow when it matters most.

Stand up for Omar Artan. Stand up for African football. Or step aside for those who will.

[FRANCE 24 Français @France24_fr]

⚽ L'arbitre somalien #OmarArtan, refoulé samedi à son entrée aux #ÉtatsUnis, n'officiera pas durant la Coupe du monde de football devant débuter jeudi, a annoncé la Fédération internationale de football à l'AFP lundi.

➡️Les raisons du refoulement d'Omar Artan, qui a notamment arbitré en #CAN, ne sont pas connues

[Sydney Leroux @sydneyleroux]

This is Omar Abdulkadir Artan. Once a little boy from Somalia who fell in love with the beautiful game. A boy who dared to dream of something so big that most people thought was impossible. But he kept going. Year after year. Match after match and sacrifice after sacrifice. That dream led him to become the FIRST Somali referee ever selected for a FIFA World Cup. Think about that. Out of millions of people. Out of entire countries.
He earned a place on the biggest stage this sport has to offer. Imagine finally getting there. Imagine calling your family. Imagine knowing that every sacrifice was worth it especially when you questioned it. Imagine not just the pride of your own country but countries celebrating you.
Then imagine being told you can’t be there. Football doesn't care where you're from, what language you speak or what flag is on your passport. It doesn’t care about politics. It cares about sacrifice. It cares about the years nobody saw. The early mornings, missed holidays, time away from your family and the moments you can never get back. It cares about what you’ve earned and a place at a World Cup should be decided by what you've given to the game and not where you were born.
The World Cup is supposed to bring the world together and not remind us of the lines that divide us because football is and always will be, for everyone.

[I.R. Iran in Tunisia🎒(تونس) @IranembTun]

We are all Omar Abdulkadir.

[The Athletic | Football @TheAthleticFC]

A Somali referee who is due to officiate at the World Cup has been denied entry to the U.S. after “vetting concerns” emerged upon his arrival in Florida over the weekend.

Omar Artan arrived at Miami International Airport on a flight from Istanbul on Saturday but was barred from entering the country following a “routine” inspection, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed in a statement to The Athletic.

Artan, the 2025 Confederation of African Football men’s referee of the year, is one of 52 referees handpicked by world governing body FIFA for the tournament.

More from @HenryBushnell

🔗 https://t.co/CehZdxwtBJ

[Jeremy Corbyn @jeremycorbyn]

What an absolute disgrace. A FIFA-certified referee being denied entry to the United States purely because he is Somali.

The World Cup is meant to bring people together. This is racism, plain and simple. Shameful.

https://t.co/rpSgTmmPU4

[Daily Mail @DailyMail]

World Cup referee - Africa's best - is denied entry to United States and sent back after landing at Miami Airport, despite having a diplomatic passport https://t.co/2JPP5NpJpT