Barred Referee Omar Artan Returns Home and Vows to Officiate 2030 World Cup

They turned him away at the airport. He came home to a hero's welcome and a bigger promise.

Zainab
By Zainab
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The 34 year old landed at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu on Wednesday.


He was greeted by government officials and representatives of the Somali Football Federation.
Fellow referees and local residents also turned up to welcome him.

Artan was set to be the first Somali to referee at a World Cup finals.
He was named Africa’s referee of the year in 2025 and was one of 52 officials selected for the tournament.
His dream ended at Miami International Airport on Monday.
He held a diplomatic passport and a valid single entry US visa.
Neither document mattered.

US immigration authorities have given no reason for his repatriation.
Somalia remains on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump.
Artan faced an 11 hour immigration interview before being detained for several hours.
He was then put on a flight back to Istanbul.

Speaking after landing in Mogadishu Artan thanked the officials ministers MPs and everyone who supported him.
He said the encouragement he received at home meant everything.
He also confirmed FIFA stayed in touch with him until he reached Somali soil.
Then he made his promise.
He told the nation and the world that he will be officiating at the next World Cup.

Andrew Giuliani who leads the White House Task Force on the World Cup told Source it was the right decision by customs and border patrol.
He said he supported it fully.
Staying outside the US and only refereeing matches in Canada or Mexico was never an option.
All on pitch officials must remain at the training base in Florida.

Trump placed a full entry ban on 12 countries including Somalia in June 2025.
Two days before the World Cup draw in December he made widely condemned remarks about the country.
He said Somalia was barely a country with no structure.
He added that Somali immigrants should go back to where they came from.

Artan urged Somalia’s youth not to lose hope.
He asked them to defend the nation’s honour whether times are bad or good.
He said the flag and the passport belong to them.


Despite everything that happened to him he will still stand for his country.
He wants to continue his journey from here and urged the youth to do the same.

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