Omar Artan is believed to have been denied entry under Trump's new travel restrictions

Award-winning football referee Omar Artan, the first Somali national to officiate at a FIFA World Cup finals tournament, has been denied entry to the US, according to a senior sports official from the African nation.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, has faced scrutiny well before kickoff over a range of organizational concerns, including shifting US entry policies and strict regulations that have led to lengthy match suspensions due to weather alerts and other disruptions.

The latest controversy emerged on Monday when Artan was refused entry and turned away at Miami International Airport despite holding a valid US visa. The Somali referee was forced to return to Istanbul, Trkiye, where he has been based, according to Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia's Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain.

"Omar Artan is among Africa's most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community," Abshir told AFP. "Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football's commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play," he added.

No clear reason was immediately known for denying entry for the referee, who became the first Somali national to be picked for the World Cup finals. The decision is likely related to the Trump administration's broad ban on immigration and visa processing imposed on Somali nationals.

The US has taken other hostile steps against the African nation, moving early this year to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people originating from the country.

In a separate incident, the national team of Senegal was subjected to extensive searching on the runway immediately after they exited their plane. Footage circulating online shows the team's members being patted down by law enforcement officials and checked with metal detectors. Senegal is another African nation that is on Trump's travel ban list as well.

Over the weekend, an apparent abrupt policy change in US entry rules affected dozens of Scottish fans days before the start of the tournament, where the Scottish national team will make an appearance for the first time in nearly three decades. Multiple fans found their applications to the US Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) abruptly switching from "approved" to "pending" or "travel not authorized." An approved ESTA is usually valid for two years and allows multiple entries, while UK nationals are allowed to stay in the US for up to 90 days without a visa.