On June 10 (CEST), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials confirmed that Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Altan was deemed ineligible to enter the United States due to suspected links to members of a terrorist organization.

An anonymous official stated that CBP's investigation uncovered derogatory information indicating that Altan had associations with individuals suspected of terrorism. This was the primary reason the U.S. denied him entry and initiated expedited removal proceedings. The official elaborated: "This individual attempted to enter the United States, but upon thorough CBP screening, derogatory information emerged, including associations with members of a terrorist organization."

The statement revealed new details regarding Altan's visa denial. Altan, selected by CAF as the 2025 Best Male Referee and expected to become the first Somali referee to officiate a FIFA World Cup match, was denied entry upon arriving in Miami on June 6.

Hours before this incident, Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House's FIFA World Cup Task Force, stated at a Washington event that the U.S. had "sufficient grounds" to deny the referee entry but declined to disclose specific reasons at that time.

Giuliani said he was in contact with relevant Department of Homeland Security and CBP officials, who informed him the decision was based on "very substantial grounds."

Somalia claims Altan holds a valid U.S. visa. Somalia is included on the entry restriction list imposed by the Trump administration on national security grounds.

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