Letter from Mogadishu: Heartbreak as EAC representative to the World Cup is turned down

It’s rare that I write about sports in this column. But hey, the biggest soccer fiesta in the world is kicking off today in Mexico, Canada and the United States of America.

Apart from the Olympic Games, the World Cup is the world’s biggest festival of football to gather at various stadia in a single month.

It is also a season of celebrations and merry making for the teams that win and progress to the next level.

For the men and women in black who officiate at the matches, it is the apex of their careers for you to be named as either a referee, linesman, third official or even a match commissair. In fact, for many it’s a dream come true.

And that was the case for one Omar Abdulkadir Artan from Somalia, a nation better known to the world as a failed state and one that is literally rising from the ashes.

East Africa had been privileged to have the Somali international referee selected to officiate at the World Cup until the USA visa control officials blocked his access at the Miami international airport where he landed from Turkey.

His crime? He was holding a Somali passport, a country that US President Donald Trump had trashed earlier in the year calling Somali immigrants “garbage” who should all be sent back home.

Artan, who made history by becoming the first Somali referee chosen for a FIFA World Cup finals, was frozen upon arrival at Miami International Airport and later returned to Turkey.

US immigration authorities later claimed the referee had been denied entry in the US after he had been flagged for alleged terrorism fears.

However, the referee’s denial to enter the US did not come as a surprise since Somalia was already among 20 or so nations the Trump administration had slapped travel restrictions.

The highly regarded official was named among 52 referees selected by FIFA to oversee matches at the 2026 World Cup, which runs from today June 12 to July 19.

Artan has built a strong reputation in African football. He was named the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men’s Referee of the Year in 2025 and has officiated at major continental competitions, including the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

A FIFA-accredited referee since 2018, Artan also serves as an official in Somalia’s domestic football competitions and is regarded as one of the continent’s leading match officials.

Last year, Artan had a year to remember becoming the first Somali to take charge of a continental final.

In June 2025, he officiated the second leg of Pyramids FC's African Champions League final victory over Mamelodi Sundowns.

Fifa appointed Artan to the U-20 World Cup in Chile, where he took charge of three matches including the third-place play-off.

At the end of the year he refereed two group games at the Africa Cup of Nations, having also officiated at the tournament in 2024.

This year in March, Artan received the ultimate accolade which should have been the pinnacle of his career.

Artan should have become the first Somali to officiate at the World Cup. Instead, he is landed back in the capital, Mogadishu on Wednesday to be received by a mammoth crowd of sympathisers, top government officials and a meeting with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Speaking to the media after he landed in Turkey following his 11-hour ordeal at the Miami airport, Artan said he had been subjected to a grueling interview by the immigration officials before he was put back in the plane that brought him.

While Artan is back in Mogadishu, his story tells us that no-one is going to receive special treatment from the Trump administration during this year’s World Cup. That includes national team delegates and supporters.

Iran who are in war with the US have been denied accommodation in the United States. The team will operate from Mexico despite having their matches played in some American cities.

The Senegalese national team were subjected to humiliation when they were run through security checks on the tarmac on their arrival in the US.

With Artan back home, the Somali government reaffirmed its support for the referee and said it would continue working to ensure Somali athletes have greater access to international competitions in the future.

Somalia has sought to expand its presence in international sport in recent years despite limited resources and the challenges posed by decades of conflict and underinvestment in sports infrastructure.

Participation in major global events remains important for inspiring young athletes and strengthening the country’s sporting development.

As a slap in the face of the Trump administration, FIFA has sanction Artan to officiate the Uefa super cup match on August 12 between PSG and Aston Villa in Salzburg. East Africa can’t wait to see Artan in action after his heartbreak.

Meanwhile, it is another first for women in Somalia after First Deputy Speaker of the House of the People, Sadia Yasin Haji Samatar, formally assumed leadership of the federal parliament’s lower chamber.

The transition follows the election of former Speaker Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur (Adan Madobe) as President of South West State.

Procedurally, the First Deputy Speaker automatically assumes the responsibilities of the Speaker on an interim basis whenever the position becomes vacant or the Speaker is unable to perform official duties. Sadia Yasin will therefore lead the chamber until a new Speaker is elected.

Her assumption of office marks a historic milestone, making her the first woman to legally and formally preside over Somalia’s House of the People, the country’s highest legislative body.

Sadia has smashed the glass ceiling and joins an exclusive list of women in east Africa who sit at the helm of their legislative arms.

She joins the likes of Dr Tulia Ackson who’s the speaker of the Tanzania national assembly, Gertrude Kazarwa speaker of the deputies of Rwanda and past speakers like Anita Among in Uganda and Nahayo Immaculee in Burundi.

Kenya is the only country in East Africa that has not had a woman rise to the position of speaker. The Uasin Gishu woman representative Gladys Boss serves as the deputy speaker, the highest position women have ever held in the Kenyan parliament.

Sadia Yasin’s rise is being viewed as a significant moment in Somalia’s political history, as no woman has previously taken charge of the lower house since the establishment of the country’s federal institutions.

Sadia Yasin had already made history in 2022 when she was elected First Deputy Speaker of the House of the People, thus breaking longstanding barriers to women’s participation in Somalia’s top political leadership.