Somali World Cup Referee Blocked From Entering U.S. Was ‘Talking To Some Very Bad People’

The Somali World Cup referee who was denied entry to the United States earlier this month was “talking to some very bad people” just before his arrival, White House World Cup task force director Andrew Giuliani told CBS News on Sunday.

Federal authorities blocked Omar Artan from entering the United States after he arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on June 6.

A senior administration official later told The Daily Wire that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had discovered “derogatory information,” including his “association with suspected members of terror organizations.” That information made him ineligible to enter the country to officiate matches for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Officially, CBP said they determined that Artan was “inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry” during routine processing.

“Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection,” CBP said. “CBP officers have the authority to question travelers, conduct inspections, and determine admissibility consistent with U.S. law.”

Giuliani declined to share the specifics of Artan’s alleged communications, citing “classified information” that “may be released” in the future.

“But what I can tell you is it was the right decision by CBP, it was the right decision by the secretary of Homeland Security, and I stand by that decision,” Giuliani said.

“We can’t talk about the contact of who he was contacting in particular, but what I can tell you is that communication was happening before he was coming to the United States. It was not a few years before, this was immediately before he was coming to the United States,” he added.

FIFA released a statement on Artan’s behalf, confirming that the referee would not be able to participate in World Cup events.

“Despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career,” the Somali referee said in the statement.

“I would like to thank FIFA and (the African federation) for all their support and I promise to keep my refereeing levels up as I concentrate on the future. I want to thank the football family for their messages and wish my colleagues all the best success during the World Cup and I look forward to joining them again in future competitions,” he added.

(Photo by Abuukar Mohamed Muhidin/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Upon his return to Somalia, Artan was greeted by a crowd of supporters at a stadium in Mogadishu.