FIFA President Gianni Infantino has urged the public to chill and relax after US authorities denied entry to Omar Abdulkadir Artan, the first Somali referee selected to officiate a World Cup.
Despite holding a valid visa, he was held for 11 hours and ultimately deemed inadmissible by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) due to vetting concerns and suspected associations with terror organizations.
Artan was sent back to Turkey and removed from the World Cup roster entirely. He has since returned to Somalia.
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Speaking ahead of the tournament, Infantino stated FIFA is a sports organization, not a world government capable of overriding sovereign border and security decisions.
“”Again, we don’t control everything. We try, we will discuss, we will speak, we will see.
“Sometimes it’s good to chill, relax, we work on everything, we try to solve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution.
“Believe me when I tell you, we always try to find solutions.
“But we need to respect we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces – we are a sports organisation.”
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In a statement issued on Wednesday, Somali authorities expressed regret over the decision and pledged to seek further clarification.
“Somalia will continue engaging with relevant partners to seek further clarification regarding this matter and to safeguard the dignity and rights of its citizens.”
