MOGADISHU, Somalia (AFP)—Somalia on Tuesday defended award-winning referee Omar Artan after he was denied entry to the United States and prevented from becoming the first Somali official to officiate at a World Cup finals.

Somalia’s Ministry of Sports expressed “deep regret” over Artan’s denial of entry, saying that despite diplomatic engagement with US authorities and world football’s governing body FIFA, it was “not possible to achieve a positive outcome”.

Artan, who in 2025 was named men’s referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), was barred from entering the US on Saturday after arriving at Miami International Airport.