Scandal at the World Cup: Trump's government does not grant a visa to a referee

BarcelonaA few hours before the start of the World Cup this Thursday, the United States government has communicated that it will not allow one of the referees chosen by FIFA to officiate matches into its country. This is Omar Artan, who was to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate matches at the World Cup. FIFA, the organizer of the tournament, had defended in recent months that everyone would be "welcome at the World Cup" in the words of its president, Gianni Infantino, but Donald Trump's government sees it differently. In recent weeks, it has been denying visas to many fans, but also to journalists, members of team delegations, and finally, one of the referees chosen to officiate matches.

Artan, who had been chosen as the best referee in the African continent in 2025, flew from Turkey to Miami yesterday, and upon landing found that he was not allowed to cross the border even though he had all the documentation proving he was coming to the World Cup to work. The American government has not given any explanation for the reasons why it ordered Artan to turn back and return to Turkey.

FIFA, upon discovering the case, made representations and has finally communicated that the referee from Somalia is excluded from the list of official referees, as "the status of his visa will not change" according to a statement. "FIFA can confirm that match referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan will not be able to coach or officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after being denied entry to the United States. FIFA does not participate in the host country's immigration processes, including visa adjudication, and has been informed by the authorities that Mr. Artan's status will not change at this time. In accordance with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted to its country," the full statement read.

while one of Iraq's best players, Ayman Hussein,Problems with the arrival of many teams

The arrival of delegations from the different states participating in the World Cup has caused strong debates, as not even the athletes have escaped uncomfortable situations. The Senegal delegation, one of the best African selections, has seen its players undergo a double security check on the airport tarmac, which has outraged its federation. Other teams like Morocco have delayed their arrival due to visa problems, while one of Iraq's best players, Ayman Hussein, was interrogated for eight hours upon arrival. This is despite Hussein having relatives who died fighting against Al-Qaeda, first, or against the Islamic State afterwards, alongside American troops, such as his father.

The most complicated case, however, is that of Iran, a state currently at war with the United States. The Trump administration has finally agreed that Iranians, who were initially supposed to be based in Arizona as decided before the start of the war, will have their training base in Tijuana and will receive permission to enter the United States on the day of the match, without being able to stay overnight in the city where the duel is played. Once the match is over, they will have to return to Tijuana immediately afterwards.

Hundreds of fans from many countries have also complained because they have been denied entry visas when they had already bought tickets and booked flights. In some cases, as has happened to Scottish or English fans, they only had to apply for ESTA, an online entry permit. But after doing so and seeing how it was approved, a few days later they received an email informing them that their status had changed and they would not be allowed to enter. Not all World Cup tickets have been sold yet, and some fans who had them are reselling them, as they will not be able to enter the United States.