Somali Referee Says His World Cup Dream Is Dashed After U.S. Denies Entry NYT - Top Stories By: Matthew Mpoke Bigg 9 June 2026 at 23:14 “I had the right papers and everything,” Omar Abdulkadir Artan said in his first interview since he was turned back. He would have been the first Somali to referee a game in the tournament. © Khaled Desouki/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesOmar Abdulkadir Artan, right, during an Africa Cup of Nations match in Morocco last year.