UTC time June 10, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official revealed that due to Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan's alleged ties to suspected terrorist organizations, the U.S. determined that he did not meet the relevant entry standards.

The anonymous official stated that CBP obtained negative information during subsequent checks, the core of which was that Artan was suspected of having dealings with suspected terrorist personnel, which was the main reason for the U.S. refusal of his entry and the initiation of rapid repatriation procedures. The official reiterated: "This individual attempted to enter the U.S., and after thorough vetting by CBP, negative information was uncovered, including his association with suspected members of terrorist organizations."

This statement revealed more new details about Artan's visa denial. Artan was once named the best male referee of 2025 by CAF and was expected to become the first Somali referee in history to officiate a FIFA World Cup match, but he was denied entry after arriving in Miami, USA, on June 6.

Just hours before this incident, Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House FIFA World Cup Task Force, stated at an event in Washington that the U.S. had "ample reasons" for denying the referee entry, but the specific reasons were not disclosed at the time.

Giuliani said that he had communicated with relevant officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the relevant departments informed him that this decision had "very ample reasons."

Somalia insists that Artan holds a valid U.S. visa, and Somalia is on the list of countries subject to immigration restrictions implemented by the Trump administration based on national security considerations.

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