Somali soccer referee denied entry to US for World Cup is welcomed home as a hero

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A leading soccer referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States for the World Cup tournament was warmly received by a crowd of supporters and officials on Wednesday as he arrived home.

Omar Artan, who was named as Africa's best male referee in 2025., said he plans to be at the next World Cup and urged Somali youth to be proud of their country.

Artan was set to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA’s final list for the tournament.

He was denied entry to the U.S. at Miami International Airport on Saturday over unspecified “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement, without giving details of the concerns. FIFA subsequently cut him from the tournament's referee list.

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/somali-world-cup-referee-denied-074038277.html

Nothing like old fashioned racism to stir the MAGA morons up.