A former president of world’s football governing body, FIFA, Sepp Blatter, has condemned the denial of Somali referee Omar Artan into the United States of America to officiate games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Artan, one of Africa’s best referees, was denied entry into the US despite having a visa causing a huge controversy in the lead up to the start of this year’s World Cup.
The Somali game official was one of seven African referees selected to handle games at the aforementioned competition but won’t play any part due to the entry denial.
The Donald Trump administration communicated that Artan’s entry denial was on the grounds of Artan having links to a terrorist group.
However, Sepp Blatter registered his displeasure over the issue because it went against the “universality” of football via a statement on social media.
“A FIFA World Cup host country must guarantee two fundamental principles: the safety of the country — and the unrestricted entry of all qualified teams, officials and referees. The case of referee Omar Artan from Somalia is against one of these obligations. FIFA must never compromise the universality of football” he wrote. (Click highlighted text to read post)
Artan has since returned to Somalia in a raucous welcome and will officiate the UEFA Super Cup tie between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.
