The Omar Artan situation has drawn criticism to the fifa World Cup

[Joy_learns_crypto]

Omar Artan is a Somalian Referee that was included by Fifa to be part of the officiating referees in this Fifa World Cup, the announcement by FIFA making Omar Artan one of the officiating team wasn’t only significant to Omar and his family it was also very significant for the whole of Somalia the news would have brought great joy and happiness to them and an encouragement for other African referees.

Frankly it’s a shame that one of the FIFA referee is having problem of gaining entrance to the host nation but that was the situation for Omar Artan and even after getting what’s looks like home he was still denied entrance and now there have been unofficial reports that he has been dropped, the report could be false but still Omar Artan is facing difficult times.

The World Cup hasn’t started and it’s looking like it a let down from the tournament we had at Qatar, honestly before Qatar the problems people thought would happen is what is happening now with the US.
Not just Omar Artan but many other teams are having problems with visa and entrance to the US for the World Cup, and this are official players now imagine problems fans are facing.

A World Cup host should be accommodating but the US is very different from accommodating and hosting a world event will not be easy for them. I hope the game can be fun and of course no gun, lol.

[shinratensei_]

I was also reading that news. As i knoe Omar Artan is currently in turkey waiting for FIFA to sort out this problem. It's not clear what the reason that prevented him to enter US, but i guess it's due to the his birthplace or he ever had a bad track record.
It must be a shameful for US by filtering what countries that can enter their country while they're organizing the tournament that is involving so many countries.

I hope this problems will be solved, and Omar can enter US.

[Sandra_hakeem]

Frankly it’s a shame that one of the FIFA referee is having problem of gaining entrance to the host nation but that was the situation for Omar Artan and even after getting what’s looks like home he was still denied entrance and now there have been unofficial reports that he has been dropped, the report could be false but still Omar Artan is facing difficult times.

I also share the same opinion that strict immigration policies in the US can ruin this competition for some. DT still wants to stir the air with his leftover shells/doesn't trust that so many people visit the US, especially because it's the biggest host of the 3 countries. Are the advanced AI technologies and individual cameras not enough to ensure safety?

The World Cup hasn’t started and it’s looking like it a let down from the tournament we had at Qatar, honestly before Qatar the problems people thought would happen is what is happening now with the US.

I saw a video of Japanese footballers training on what appeers to be a patchy pitch that doesn't meet the international standards.

I hope the game can be fun and of course no gun, lol.

No guns in the US? I hope so.
Ps; You haven't provided any link for citation on this post. This may get you in trouble you know?

[Joy_learns_crypto]

I was also reading that news. As i knoe Omar Artan is currently in turkey waiting for FIFA to sort out this problem. It's not clear what the reason that prevented him to enter US, but i guess it's due to the his birthplace or he ever had a bad track record.
It must be a shameful for US by filtering what countries that can enter their country while they're organizing the tournament that is involving so many countries.

I hope this problems will be solved, and Omar can enter US.

This is not the time to start checking his birth place, he isn’t come for his own business or for pleasure he is coming as one of Fifa officiating team and Fifa would definitely have done their own background checks on Omar Artan and this is not the time for the US to restrict players.
The Iraq national team captain was also held for hours which can also cause him anxiety and affect his performance at the World Cup.

[EluguHcman]

I was also reading that news. As i knoe Omar Artan is currently in turkey waiting for FIFA to sort out this problem. It's not clear what the reason that prevented him to enter US, but i guess it's due to the his birthplace or he ever had a bad track record.
It must be a shameful for US by filtering what countries that can enter their country while they're organizing the tournament that is involving so many countries.

I hope this problems will be solved, and Omar can enter US.

I am yet to get on this news but for you all that have read it, does it mean the US never stated at all what was the fault of the Omar Artan for his denial of getting through the United States for the FIFA officiating he was assigned?
If the US is not in good relationship with the Somalia may be due to the ongoing wars I think that would be a hold on reason for the US government to breach the Omars entrance to the State to curb insecurity threats.
But on the right justification, a host of a global tournament match (FIFA) as the US does not have to show such sentiment. So if the Somalians was not earlier eliminated from the African qualifications tournament is it how they would also deprive the players from entry?

How about fans from various countries, I am wondering how the US authorities will also regulate fans from entering of they will be sentimental in restricting people based on where they come from.
Perhaps they should not had accepted to be the host if they were going to be biased but nevertheless, the case of the Omar should not be enough to justify the news. Maybe the Omar himself may have some personal records like you said which may have been a barrier for his entrance.

[Agbamoni]

I decided to hold on till today, if there were any comments from FIFA before commencing on this thread. And FIFA did not disappoint at all. Just as I expected, FIFA has decided to stay mute while the World Cup is kicking off in two days. What's more surprising is how the reason for the denial is unknown. The US rejected Omar an entry with no official statement. Well for now, lets see what they will say in a few days, but if you are waiting for FIFA to come out and say something, you are wasting your precious time.

[Hispo]

...
A World Cup host should be accommodating but the US is very different from accommodating and hosting a world event will not be easy for them. I hope the game can be fun and of course no gun, lol.

Yes, I have heard the story of Omar, and it seems to me he is being blatantly targeted by the Trump administration because of his origin and his race, as the administration of Trump has been specially tough on people who wish to enter to the United States and come from Africa (except white people from South Africa, that is).

Unfortunaly, it costs nothing for the FIFA to quickly replace a refee and act as if nothing happened.  It would have been different if it was a player from a national team, but unfortunately all people take referees for granted.

Also, I would be incredibly insane if someone tried to bring a gun to one of the World Cup stadiums, but I would not be surprised if someone in the USA actually tried to do so, for whatever reason. Gun and weapons culture is very strong in the USA .

[Zlantann]

I decided to hold on till today, if there were any comments from FIFA before commencing on this thread. And FIFA did not disappoint at all. Just as I expected, FIFA has decided to stay mute while the World Cup is kicking off in two days. What's more surprising is how the reason for the denial is unknown. The US rejected Omar an entry with no official statement. Well for now, lets see what they will say in a few days, but if you are waiting for FIFA to come out and say something, you are wasting your precious time.

FIFA has confirmed that Omar Abdulkadir Artan will not be part of the officials in the competition due to the visa refusal. FIFA would have sought alternatives like sending him to officiate games in Canada and Mexico only. They said it's not possible because there will be a training hub in Miami headed by Referees' chief Pierluigi Collina, where all officials must undergo training. But I don't see it as an excuse because he could still be involved online.

I just assume that FIFA is highly politicized and Gianni Infantino is powerless before Trump.  

[Agbamoni]

FIFA has confirmed that Omar Abdulkadir Artan will not be part of the officials in the competition due to the visa refusal. FIFA would have sought alternatives like sending him to officiate games in Canada and Mexico only. They said its not possible because there will be a training hub in Miami headed by Referees' chief Pierluigi Collina, which all officials must undergo training. But I don't see it as an excuse because he could still be involved online. I just assume that FIFA is highly politicized and Gianni Infantino is powerless before Trump. 

I saw the same news but it has not been confirmed yet. I think it is best we take it as rumor in the meantime until an official release have been made regarding this situation. Unless you have a link that proves the information is from a legit source.

It is also rumored that a replacement has been appointed. Eventually the name was not mentioned in the source which is part of the reason im yet to take the news personally.

[Alphakilo]

FIFA has confirmed that Omar Abdulkadir Artan will not be part of the officials in the competition due to the visa refusal. FIFA would have sought alternatives like sending him to officiate games in Canada and Mexico only. They said its not possible because there will be a training hub in Miami headed by Referees' chief Pierluigi Collina, which all officials must undergo training. But I don't see it as an excuse because he could still be involved online. I just assume that FIFA is highly politicized and Gianni Infantino is powerless before Trump. 

I saw the same news but it has not been confirmed yet. I think it is best we take it as rumor in the meantime until an official release have been made regarding this situation. Unless you have a link that proves the information is from a legit source.

It is also rumored that a replacement has been appointed. Eventually the name was not mentioned in the source which is part of the reason im yet to take the news personally.

Incase you are looking for where to read the news at besides this place, you can confirm this link as a heads-up.
https://businessday.ng/sports/article/world-cup-2026-somali-referee-dropped-after-u-s-visa-denial/?hl=en-US

Even though Omar was voted the best referee in Africa last year, its disheartening the way he is being treated by immigration officers and the U.S at large who should have well vetted the FIFA officials and players before they arrived and start facing all this scrutiny and harassment.

Any world cup is supposed to unite people not be a source of discrimination and threats to participants.

[Chinesebaby]

Omar Artan is a Somalian Referee that was included by Fifa to be part of the officiating referees in this Fifa World Cup, the announcement by FIFA making Omar Artan one of the officiating team wasn’t only significant to Omar and his family it was also very significant for the whole of Somalia the news would have brought great joy and happiness to them and an encouragement for other African referees.

Frankly it’s a shame that one of the FIFA referee is having problem of gaining entrance to the host nation but that was the situation for Omar Artan and even after getting what’s looks like home he was still denied entrance and now there have been unofficial reports that he has been dropped, the report could be false but still Omar Artan is facing difficult times.

The World Cup hasn’t started and it’s looking like it a let down from the tournament we had at Qatar, honestly before Qatar the problems people thought would happen is what is happening now with the US.
Not just Omar Artan but many other teams are having problems with visa and entrance to the US for the World Cup, and this are official players now imagine problems fans are facing.

A World Cup host should be accommodating but the US is very different from accommodating and hosting a world event will not be easy for them. I hope the game can be fun and of course no gun, lol.

In situations like this, FIFA to is to be blamed for the inability of all its official not been able to access the host nation weeks or days before the tournament officially kick-starts. Because these are issues FIFA would have discussed with the host nation to ensure that all its important key players and officers have an express passage into USA without hindrance. And it's just so sad to hear that one of our African referee "Omar Artan"  is been denied access into the host nation, and now there have been rumors that he might have been disqualified from officiating in this year's FIFA World Cup. So I hope the organizers of FIFA can resolve this immediately before the match starts. Because there is also another rumor that more than 50% of the people from Africa have just been denied their Visa and access into the host nation.

[danherbias07]

I do believe that the US is just trying to increase its security, but I think they are doing it wrong.

There are ways to make this happen, and they could copy what they have done in the bubble with COVID and everything. Players and officials can just go to their hotels and back to the field, and they will monitor them so that no one will come in or out who is not part of the group.
As hosts of a prestigious event, they cannot prevent people from going, especially the officials who will be doing their job. Imagine that. You were denied entry while you are all excited, and so is your family, but it's possible that he will not be there.

[DrBeer]

Omar Artan is a Somalian Referee that was included by Fifa to be part of the officiating referees in this Fifa World Cup, the announcement by FIFA making Omar Artan one of the officiating team wasn’t only significant to Omar and his family it was also very significant for the whole of Somalia the news would have brought great joy and happiness to them and an encouragement for other African referees.

Frankly it’s a shame that one of the FIFA referee is having problem of gaining entrance to the host nation but that was the situation for Omar Artan and even after getting what’s looks like home he was still denied entrance and now there have been unofficial reports that he has been dropped, the report could be false but still Omar Artan is facing difficult times.

The World Cup hasn’t started and it’s looking like it a let down from the tournament we had at Qatar, honestly before Qatar the problems people thought would happen is what is happening now with the US.
Not just Omar Artan but many other teams are having problems with visa and entrance to the US for the World Cup, and this are official players now imagine problems fans are facing.

A World Cup host should be accommodating but the US is very different from accommodating and hosting a world event will not be easy for them. I hope the game can be fun and of course no gun, lol.

This is called "being caught in the crossfire", and unfortunately, it does happen-especially during times like these, with events similar to those currently unfolding around the world. And unfortunately, laws designed to address other issues can end up affecting people who have nothing to do with the problem itself.

[buwaytress]

Well, they destroyed entire neighbourhoods in Brazil, they exploited and killed workers in Russia, then upped the death toll to the thousands in Qatar in the ten years they had to construct stadiums (I'm not kidding, look it up).

If you thought the World Cup was all nice and happy and this is a letdown from Qatar, then don't worry, next World Cup we can forget these comparatively minor transgressions in US/Mexico/Canada.

Not dismissing the ref's issue. Just... what would you expect from the World Cup, right?

[ene1980]

I also share the same opinion that strict immigration policies in the US can ruin this competition for some. DT still wants to stir the air with his leftover shells/doesn't trust that so many people visit the US, especially because it's the biggest host of the 3 countries. Are the advanced AI technologies and individual cameras not enough to ensure safety?

Omar Artan is the first Somali referee and there is a strict immigration policy for the people from Somali. It is not about AI cameras and other safety.

I saw a video of Japanese footballers training on what appeers to be a patchy pitch that doesn't meet the international standards.

Japan held their pre tournament camp in Mexico and the ground was in really poor condition and the Japanese team complained this to the authorities and now moved their camp completely to the US.

Is is really an unfortunate situation for Omar Artan. It is highly unlikely he will get the opportunity to officiate as a referee in this World Cup.
 

[Dogedegen]

Omar Artan is a Somalian Referee that was included by Fifa to be part of the officiating referees in this Fifa World Cup, the announcement by FIFA making Omar Artan one of the officiating team wasn’t only significant to Omar and his family it was also very significant for the whole of Somalia the news would have brought great joy and happiness to them and an encouragement for other African referees.

Frankly it’s a shame that one of the FIFA referee is having problem of gaining entrance to the host nation but that was the situation for Omar Artan and even after getting what’s looks like home he was still denied entrance and now there have been unofficial reports that he has been dropped, the report could be false but still Omar Artan is facing difficult times.

The World Cup hasn’t started and it’s looking like it a let down from the tournament we had at Qatar, honestly before Qatar the problems people thought would happen is what is happening now with the US.
Not just Omar Artan but many other teams are having problems with visa and entrance to the US for the World Cup, and this are official players now imagine problems fans are facing.

A World Cup host should be accommodating but the US is very different from accommodating and hosting a world event will not be easy for them. I hope the game can be fun and of course no gun, lol.

People who get chosen to be referees should not get special treatment over normal people, even treating celebrities is a mistake and unfair for everyone who invest a lot of time and money to get the right paperwork to be allowed to enter some country or to stay in it. In some cases people have been trying hard to get it for several years, normal honest citizens! So why should it be rewarded to people for free? That is an insult to everyone who is trying to do the things the right way and with hard work. If the chosen referee is unable to enter a host country that is just unfortunate, but they should not given special treatment simply because they happened to be chosen as the referee.

I also share the same opinion that strict immigration policies in the US can ruin this competition for some. DT still wants to stir the air with his leftover shells/doesn't trust that so many people visit the US, especially because it's the biggest host of the 3 countries. Are the advanced AI technologies and individual cameras not enough to ensure safety?

Omar Artan is the first Somali referee and there is a strict immigration policy for the people from Somali. It is not about AI cameras and other safety.

The strict rules exist for good reasons. People can disagree with them all they want, but if they claim that they are bad rules or that they should be changed over something like the World Cup then they would be wrong. Don't bother other countries how they solve their own issues when your own country has many other issues that it is solving also in ways that are not the best. I see people do that a lot, but when we do that we completely overlook that our own country could be much worse with many things that it does..

[Davidvictorson]

A World Cup host should be accommodating but the US is very different from accommodating and hosting a world event will not be easy for them. I hope the game can be fun and of course no gun, lol.

For the US the security of their country and her citizens come first. And they are permitted to allow or not allow anyone into their country. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying that this referee posed a security risk, I don’t know but for whatever reason that made him not to be admitted into the country, the US government may have found something significant to that effect.

[Joy_learns_crypto]

People who get chosen to be referees should not get special treatment over normal people, even treating celebrities is a mistake and unfair for everyone who invest a lot of time and money to get the right paperwork to be allowed to enter some country or to stay in it. In some cases people have been trying hard to get it for several years, normal honest citizens! So why should it be rewarded to people for free? That is an insult to everyone who is trying to do the things the right way and with hard work. If the chosen referee is unable to enter a host country that is just unfortunate, but they should not given special treatment simply because they happened to be chosen as the referee.

You don’t know what it means to host international competitions like World Cup, Olympics, Fifa is the governing body of football and this is a referee under Fifa so yes he shouldn’t be treated like a regular person or his regular self he is a Fifa representative and if you agreed to host fifa events then you should trust FIFA choice of referee.
Also Omar has a diplomatic passport which should also be valid for him to gain entrance into US.
If it was only Omar I will maybe believe you but from how Iraq players were treated to how the Senegalese players were searched in an embarrassing way.