He came home without a World Cup assignment. But he came home a hero. Somali referee Omar Artan landed in Mogadishu on Tuesday to a rousing reception — over 100 flag-waving supporters, chants and emotional scenes at the city’s main airport — days after the United States denied him entry and effectively ended his World Cup dream.
“I will be at the next World Cup and will continue to make Somalia proud,” Artan declared, unbowed. Washington’s explanation was blunt and bruising: a State Department official told AFP that Artan was “associated with suspected members of terrorist organisations” — a claim that has ignited fury across Somalia.
“They wronged him in a way that hurts everybody concerned about humanity,” said a Mogadishu government official who showed up to receive him. FIFA wasted no time, confirming his removal from the tournament’s referee panel. For a nation that had celebrated his appointment as a landmark moment, the reversal stings deeply.
Artan had been named CAF’s Men’s Referee of the Year just last year. Now he watches the World Cup from home — but insists his story is far from over.
