© picture alliance / Captital Pictures | CNP/ADM
Omar Artan was one of 52 referees who gathered in Miami to prepare for the World Cup that starts on Thursday. As one of Africa's top refs, the Somali had earned his place at the big football event. But after an 11-hour interrogation, he was put on a plane back to his country by U.S. authorities.
"I had all the necessary papers and stuff. I had the right visa," Omar Artan told the New York Times. "I think they have a problem with my country." To the BBC World Service, the head of the "White House Task Force on the World Cup" told U.S. Customs and Border Patrol that it had made the right decision, without giving details.
"Every few hours there's another new story: fans denied entry, players denied entry, officials denied entry, journalists denied entry, and now referees," Ian Wright, former Arsenal striker, wrote on Instagram. "This is a World Cup full of chaos."
The Artan incident has sparked criticism that FIFA has little control over the tournament, as key decisions, particularly on visas that determine who is allowed into the country, are in the hands of the U.S. government. Similar problems affect fans, journalists and staff members of the teams.
The situation is further complicated by U.S. policies under President Donald Trump, including travel bans on several countries and broader immigration measures. This has already affected the logistics of the World Cup, and some teams and supporters remain in limbo over whether they will be granted entry to the United States.
Critics argue that this undermines the spirit of the World Cup: the football festival should be inclusive and bring the entire world closer together. Unlike previous host nations such as Russia and Qatar, which relaxed entry requirements for participants and fans, the U.S. has maintained strict controls.
The controversy adds to other concerns surrounding the tournament, including high costs and organizational problems, and raises a broader question: whether FIFA has effectively transferred control of key aspects of the World Cup to the host country. In the past, FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that any country qualifying for the World Cup should be given access to the host country. "If not, there will be no World Cup," Infantino said. That a host country (the United States, for this World Cup along with Canada and Mexico) is at war with one of the participants (Iran) further complicates the situation.
Picture: © picture alliance / Captital Pictures | CNP/ADM