Pirate's Cove

Trump is just a big meany

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

A referee from Somalia said on Tuesday that the biggest dream of his professional life had been shattered after the American authorities denied him permission to enter the United States to participate in the World Cup soccer tournament.

The referee, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, was one of 52 selected for this summer’s World Cup in North America. He was one of seven African referees to be chosen for the tournament and would have been the first Somali to referee a World Cup game.

Speaking for the first time since he was denied entry to the United States, Mr. Artan told The New York Times that officiating a World Cup game would have been a symbol for all Somalis of what they could achieve in spite of their country’s difficulties.

“I am very, very disappointed,” Mr. Artan said in a telephone interview from Istanbul, the city he had been flown to after he was refused entry. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”

He flew into Miami, was interviewed by CBP, held for 11 hours, then sent packing

“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” Mr. Artan said, adding that he had also showed documentation from FIFA as well as photographs of his career of over a decade as a professional referee. Border officials also checked online material detailing Mr. Artan’s career, he said. He was named referee of the year in 2025 by the Confederation of African Football, which governs soccer in Africa.

The right papers! Trump mean!

Mr. Artan said, “I think that they have a problem with my country,” adding that he would return to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday. He said that he had been preparing for the World Cup for four years, taking courses with FIFA in Qatar and in the United Arab Emirates. (snip)

In December, President Trump singled out Somali immigrants, calling them “garbage” in a tirade at the White House and saying that Somalia was “not even a country.” Nonetheless, the Pentagon has been working with Somalia’s government to conduct scores of airstrikes against militant targets in the country.

See? Trump bad! And the NY Times, the Paper of Record, has multiple articles on this. But, so far, nothing about this

U.S. official: Somalia’s Omar Artan had suspected terror ties

A United States official said Tuesday night that Omar Artan, the Somalian soccer referee who was denied entry into the country ahead of the World Cup, was refused admission due to “association with suspected members of terror organizations.”

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter that is covered by visa privacy laws.

Speaking earlier Tuesday, Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said Artan was denied admittance for “very good reason” but declined to offer details.

Basically, like so many Somalis, he had ties to the Islamic terrorist groups, and probably supported them. ESPN left a tiny bit out

(Fox News) A Somali World Cup referee, who was denied entry into the U.S. days before the tournament kicked off in North America by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), was flagged for “derogatory” information, including “association with suspected members of terror organizations,” a Trump administration official told Fox News.

The flag made Omar Artan inadmissible for entry into the U.S.

If you’re getting “derogatory” information, that is definitely not good, and perhaps FIFA should have vetted him a wee bit better.

And TDS infused media outlets should do their jobs better. The Washington Post only mentions “vetting concerns” as he got a “hero’s welcome” returning home. And goes on a rant about players and officials being denied entry without really mentioning why.