The U.S. government defended its decision to deny entry to a Somali referee.
The United States government has defended its decision to refuse entry to Somali referee Omar Artan ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting that the measures were taken following security assessments conducted during the immigration screening process.
The controversy emerged after Artan was denied entry upon arriving at Miami International Airport despite holding a valid U.S. visa.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Somali official was subjected to further inspection by authorities before being ruled inadmissible and returned to Turkey.
In a separate case, several Iranian support staff were also prevented from entering the country after concerns were raised during a review conducted by U.S. authorities.
Security screening behind decision
Officials from the White House Task Force overseeing World Cup preparations revealed that some of the Iranian personnel listed as members of the national team’s support staff were found to have alleged connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Speaking at an Atlantic Council event in Washington, task force executive director Andrew Giuliani defended the government’s actions, stressing that security remains a top priority as the United States prepares to host the global football tournament.
“To this point, we’ve had 35 teams that have come into the United States. No players and no coaches have been denied. There have been some officials who have been denied, and for good reason,” Giuliani said.
While declining to disclose specific details surrounding the cases, Giuliani maintained that the decisions were made after careful consideration.
Giuliani explained that authorities are working to strike a balance between welcoming participants and ensuring that potential security risks do not gain access to the country under the cover of the tournament.
“We’re striking that balance between making sure that any bad actors who try to come into the country under the guise of the World Cup will not get access to the United States. While I can’t go into the details, what I can tell you at a high level is that it was for a very good reason,” he said.