SOMALI referee Omar Artan will be paid for his 2026 World Cup match assignments by world football governing body FIFA, according to various reports citing sources, after he was refused entry into the United States of America prior to the start of the tournament.
Artan, named African Referee of the Year in 2025, returned to Somalia after being turned away from the U.S. on his arrival in Miami last week because of visa issues.
A statement by U.S. Border and Customs Protection cited “vetting concerns” for the 34-year-old’s removal from the country.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino told critics to “chill and relax” when asked about FIFA’s failure to intervene successfully on Artan’s behalf.
But reports claim that Artan will be fully remunerated for his commitments at the World Cup. The exact figure has yet to be determined due to the number of games that Artan would have been assigned.
In the wake of Artan’s exclusion from the World Cup, UEFA moved to appoint the young referee to take charge of the UEFA Super Cup clash between Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and Europa League winners Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, in August.
Agency report
