Arab referee removed from 2026 World Cup
Somali referee Omar Abdulqadir Artan has been barred from officiating at the 2026 World Cup matches after being denied entry into the United States and deported to Turkey, despite holding a valid travel visa and being on FIFA's list of approved referees. Artan is considered one of the top African referees and was awarded the Best African Referee of 2025. He was also the first Somali referee to be selected for a World Cup, reflecting international confidence in his performance.
Size: 120%Text Size
Notice: This Is an AI-Generated Summary
Comments (0)