TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his regret over the incident involving Somali referee Omar Artan, who was unable to enter the United States after arriving in the country due to being denied access by local authorities.
"It's very unfortunate what happened to Omar (Artan), the referee from Somalia," Infantino said at a press conference in Mexico City, as quoted by a FIFA video broadcast on Thursday, Western Indonesian Time.
Infantino also called for calm regarding this matter and assured everyone that FIFA is not remaining silent and is working to find the best solution.
"Once again, we can't control everything. We're trying, we'll discuss, we'll talk, we'll see what happens. We're working on everything," Infantino said.
In addition to Omar Artan, several other people, from team photographers to supporters, were previously unable to enter the United States because their visa requests were denied.
Previously, it was reported that Omar Artan, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) referee of the year for 2025 and a candidate to be the first Somali referee to officiate a World Cup match, was unable to enter the US.
Immigration authorities at Miami International Airport deemed Artan ineligible for their country.
Omar Artan himself maintained that all his documentation was in order, even though Somalia is a country on the US travel ban list.
Following the denial, Artan was forced to return to Istanbul, Turkey, from where he was to fly to the US.
Explaining their decision, a spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection said that Artan had undergone "additional screening" upon arrival on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
Read: Somali Referee Barred from World Cup After US Entry Denial
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