<\/div>\nA CAF source told AFP the continental body could not intervene in the decision by the US, adding: \u201cWe certainly feel sorry for Artan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Somalia reaffirmed \u201cits unwavering support\u201d for the referee, adding it \u201chas full confidence in his integrity, professionalism, and continued contribution to the advancement of football both in Somalia and internationally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArtan represents the very best of Somali talent,\u201d the Ministry of Sports statement said.<\/p>\n
Artan said in an interview with the New York Times that the \u201cbiggest dream of my life\u201d had been ripped away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very, very disappointed,\u201d he said from Istanbul, where he returned after being turned back in Miami.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just simply a referee who\u2019s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n
Artan said he was subjected to an 11-hour interview with border officials and then taken to a separate holding cell where he was detained for several further hours before being put on a flight back to Turkey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,\u201d he added \u2013 an assertion confirmed to AFP by a Somali government adviser.<\/p>\n
Artan\u2019s rejection has sparked outrage at home.<\/p>\n<\/amp-img>Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan. Photo by Khaled DESOUKI \/ AFP<\/span>Source: AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFormer Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said he was \u201cdeeply disappointed\u201d and assured Artan that \u201cAfrica and the world stand with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe represents not only Somalia, but also the aspirations of millions of young Africans who believe excellence should be recognised on the world stage,\u201d Khaire wrote on X.<\/p>\n
Ex-Somali government minister Abdirashid Hashi called on FIFA to stand with Artan, saying, \u201cFootball is supposed to unite people, not exclude.\u201d<\/p>\n
He \u201cshould be judged by his merit and professionalism \u2014 not by the passport he carries,\u201d Hashi added, describing the move as a \u201cpolitical decision\u201d by the United States.<\/p>\n
Hashi suggested that FIFA could have allowed the referee to take charge of World Cup games in the two other countries hosting games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope Canada and Mexico issue visas to Artan. There is no reason a referee denied entry to one host country cannot still contribute to a World Cup being hosted across three countries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The head of the White House Task Force for the World Cup defended the decision not to grant visas to the Somali referee, and also some support staff for the Iranian team.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo this point we\u2019ve had 35 teams that have come into the United States,\u201d Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the task force, said at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council in Washington.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo players, no coaches have been denied,\u201d Giuliani said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been some officials that have been denied, and for good reason. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re striking that balance between making sure that any bad actors that \u2026 try to come into the country under the guise of the World Cup will not get access to the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giuliani, the son of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, was asked specifically about the decision to bar Artan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I can\u2019t go into the details, what I can tell you, high level, is it was for a very good reason,\u201d Giuliani said.<\/p>\n
Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump\u2019s administration as part of a broader immigration crackdown.<\/p>\n
Protesters block road to Mexican World Cup stadium<\/b><\/p>\n
Thousands of demonstrators blocked an avenue leading to Mexico City\u2019s Azteca Stadium on Tuesday, just days before the 2026 World Cup kicks off at the venue.<\/p>\n
As football fans flood into tournament co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico, the Central American country is grappling with chaotic teacher protests in its capital.<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s protest, led by a breakaway group of the CNTE teachers union, follows a week of demonstrations that President Claudia Sheinbaum has called a \u201cprovocation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs if to say, \u2018Look at how bad the situation is in Mexico,\u2019\u201d she told a press conference.<\/p>\n
The Azteca stadium will host the World Cup\u2019s first game \u2013 pitting Mexico against South Africa \u2013 on Thursday, with a vast global TV audience set to tune in for the opening ceremony and the match.<\/p>\n
Authorities have deployed thousands of officers and set up concrete barriers surrounding the venue to block protests.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe intend to reach the stadium,\u201d demonstrator Angel Villalobos told AFP on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government has given some responses, but they don\u2019t help, they don\u2019t satisfy.\u201d Sheinbaum said earlier that the opening match was \u201cguaranteed,\u201d though the left-leaning leader again ruled out using police to repress the demonstrations.<\/p>\n
Her government has favoured dialogue with the protesting teachers, but to no avail.<\/p>\n
<\/amp-ima-video><\/p>\nYengi on debut goal vs. Switzerland | 00:53<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\u201cWe\u2019re going to continue our struggle,\u201d said Austreberto Flores, another protester looking to block Azteca Stadium.<\/p>\n
The CNTE teachers union has been on strike since last week to demand a salary raise and the reversal of a pension law \u2014 which the government considers unfeasible.<\/p>\n
The teachers have also set up camp near the World Cup fan zone in Mexico City\u2019s Zocalo square.<\/p>\n
On June 1, police dispersed protesters in the area with rubber bullets and teargas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want to make it seem like there is mass social turmoil in Mexico, and that\u2019s not true,\u201d Sheinbaum has said of the protests.<\/p>\n
The teachers have called for demonstrations on Thursday that will also include families of so-called \u201cdisappeared\u201d people, who are alleged to have been killed or kidnapped by Mexican authorities or criminal gangs.<\/p>\n
The 2026 edition of the world\u2019s biggest football extravaganza is the most logistically complex ever staged.<\/p>\n
Mexico is still rushing to complete renovations at subway stations and at its main airport ahead of the tournament.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Footage has emerged of Italian football legend Fabio Cannavaro being stopped by security and having his belongings searched ahead of a World Cup friendly match. The World Cup winner, coaching Uzbekistan at the global tournament, was patted down in a detailed security inspection ahead of the nation\u2019s friendly clash against Netherlands in New York. According […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":247533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[156],"class_list":{"0":"post-247532","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}