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.
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🚨🚨| JUST IN: Iraq's Aymen Hussein was held for 𝟕 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 by US authorities upon arrival in Chicago with the national squad for the FIFA World Cup. 😳🇮🇶
He was the only one that was held up by the authorities for the interrogation.
[@lequipe]
In just 5 days, Mexico will once again play in the middle of the day at the Estadio Azteca just like the good old days…
And this is how the Mexican National Anthem will echo throughout the stadium. 🏆
GOOSEBUMPS. ❤️🔊🏟️
Iran’s World Cup squad has been notified they must enter and leave US soil on the same day of their matches played in America, says Tehran’s ambassador to Mexico.
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Men are so private online. A guy could be moving to another country or having his first child, and he’d still only post a random football score on his story.