Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States for the World Cup, returned to a hero’s welcome in Mogadishu and vowed to take part in the next tournament in 2030.
More than 100 supporters lined up outside the VIP section of Mogadishu’s main airport, waving national flags as Artan disembarked from a Turkish Airlines flight to cheers.
“I will be at the next World Cup and will continue to make Somalia proud… Despite what has happened to me, I am not discouraged,” Artan told journalists.
Artan’s rejection has sparked outrage at home.
“They wronged him in a way that hurts everybody that is concerned about humanity,” Mohamed Said, a Mogadishu government official, said at the airport.
Artan, who in 2025 was named men’s referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), was barred from entering the US on Saturday after arriving at Miami
This post was originally published on this site.
