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Somali Referee Says His World Cup Dream Is Dashed After U.S. Denies Entry

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 Images

Omar Abdulkadir Artan, right, during an Africa Cup of Nations match in Morocco last year.
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