A World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States arrived Wednesday in Somali's capital of Mogadishu, where he was received by a crowd of supporters and officials.
Omar Artan was set to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making Fifa's final list for the tournament. He is one of Africa's top referees and was named the continent's best male referee in 2025.
He was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over "vetting concerns," US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without giving details of those concerns. Fifa subsequently cut him from the tournament's referee list.
The Trump administration said on Tuesday the US had denied Artan entry for the World Cup because of his links to "suspected members of terror organisations".
Artan was issued a visa to travel to the US last week, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya that processed it.
He returned to a hero's welcome at the airport in Mogadishu.
He thanked the Somali government and people as well as Fifa for their support for him.
He called the decision to bar him entry to the United States for the World Cup was "fate" and urged his fellow Somalis not to lose heart over it.
"I promise you, God willing, that I will attend the next one," he said as hundreds of supporters at the airport waved the Somali flag. "I want the Somali public to take comfort in this and remain confident."
Fans upset
The news was greeted with bitter disappointment by Somali soccer fans who had been eagerly anticipating Artan's presence at the tournament.
"It would have been a massive moment not just for him, but for the rest of us and Africa," Abdifatah, a student who gave only his first name, told Reuters.
Photographer Najib A. Farah, 26, described the decision as "shameful".
"Omar Artan was a role model for Somali referees and turning him away sends the wrong message to young Somalis aspiring to careers in football," he said.
Somalia's government said it had tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with the US and Fifa so that Artan could enter the US and was saddened by what had happened.