Infantino to pay Omar Artan full World Cup fee after U.S. denial
Fifa will pay Omar Artan his full World Cup fee even after infantino-linked tournament plans for the Somali referee were derailed by a U.S. entry refusal. Artan was denied entry to the United States after 11 hours of questioning at Miami International Airport on Monday and will take no part in the tournament.
The 34-year-old said immigration authorities rejected his diplomatic passport and single-entry U.S. visa. He also said border officials questioned him over links to the Somali militant group Al Shabab, while a U.S. government official said he was not allowed in because of an alleged association with suspected members of terror organisations.
Artan at Miami International Airport
Artan said he told officials he knew nothing about the organisation. After the questioning, he was put back on a plane to Turkey. Fifa officials in Istanbul then assisted him before he boarded a flight to Mogadishu.
The decision leaves Fifa paying for an assignment Artan cannot work, but it also keeps his World Cup compensation intact. Sources said referees do not know the actual fee they will receive until after the tournament ends, so the payment will be set even though he will not officiate a match.
Somali referee’s rise in 2025
Artan has been a Fifa referee since 2018 and built a busy 2025 before the trip to the United States. He became the first Somali to take charge of a continental final, handled the second leg of Pyramids FC’s African Champions League final victory over Mamelodi Sundowns in June 2025, and was named the Confederation of African Football men’s referee of the year.
He also took charge of three matches at the U-20 World Cup in Chile, including the third-place play-off, and refereed two group games at the Africa Cup of Nations at the end of 2025. He had also worked at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024.
Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa
Artan’s year is not ending in Miami. He has been invited to officiate the Uefa Super Cup between Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, on 12 August.
He said after returning to Somalia that he thanked “my people and my country,” and he has vowed to officiate at the 2030 World Cup. For now, his tournament place in the United States is gone, but the fee for it is not.
