Amnesty condemns denial of entry to US for Somali World Cup referee

 

Amnesty International has condemned the denial of entry to Somali referee Omar Artan by United States immigration authorities, describing the incident as further evidence that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is failing to live up to its promise of bringing the world together.

Artan, who was poised to become the first Somali official to referee at a FIFA World Cup finals tournament, said he was subjected to an 11-hour immigration interview at Miami International Airport before being denied entry to the United States despite holding what he described as the “right papers” and the “right visa.”

Following the incident, FIFA removed Artan from its list of World Cup match officials on Monday, ending his historic opportunity to participate in football’s biggest tournament.

Responding to the development, Amnesty International’s Head of Sport, Stephen Cockburn, said the case highlighted growing concerns over accessibility and inclusion at the tournament.

Stephen Cockburn.

Meanwhile, Iran’s allocation of fan tickets for the group stage of the World Cup has been revoked just days before the start of the tournament, says the country’s football federation.

The World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, begins on Thursday, with Iran scheduled to play New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 – both in Los Angeles – before facing Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Iran’s governing body says Fifa regulations state each federation involved in the World Cup receives 8 percent of the tickets for each of their matches, to distribute to supporters.

It added that it had already begun selling tickets but can no longer provide them to fans, some of whom have already made travel arrangements.

   Artan was part of the officiating team for the Under-20 World Cup in Chile last year, and received recognition from FIFA referees chief Pierluigi Collina (second left) after refereeing the third-place play-off.