— Washington, D.C.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly criticized US immigration authorities after Somalia's head referee, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, was denied entry to the United States despite having a valid visa and FIFA accreditation for the 2026 World Cup.
Artan was denied entry at Miami International Airport upon arrival from Istanbul due to unspecified background check issues. The decision has generated considerable controversy, as he had been officially appointed by FIFA to referee matches in the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed the denial of entry, while FIFA subsequently removed Artan from its list of referees for the 2026 World Cup. The referee, named African Referee of the Year in 2025, was expected to become the first Somali referee in World Cup history.
In a strongly worded statement on X, Clinton said, ‘As a World Cup host, the United States should not lightly bar officials from entering the country to do their jobs. It’s a terrible setback. Moreover, it’s counterproductive.’ She stressed that global sporting events should foster international cooperation, not create unnecessary barriers.
The incident has raised further questions about U.S. visa policies for international sports officials as preparations intensify for the 2026 tournament. FIFA expressed its disappointment at the loss of a designated referee.