World Cup officials, referees, and athletes from countries Donald Dumb has qualified as "shithole" countries are already experiencing harassment and denial of entry visas under the pretext of safety and security concerns. "Shithole countries" is white supremacist code for countries from Africa, Asia and South America, and more broadly from the developing world, whose citizens generally have brown or black skin.
A world-renown Somali soccer referee who was slated to officiate the FIFA World Cup has been barred by US federal immigration authorities from entering the U.S. over the weekend, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Monday, citing "vetting concerns". FIFA has confirmed that Omar Abdulkadir Artan "will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States", adding "in line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country."
CBP, which oversees customs agents at international airports and which has, under directives from Donald Dumb, been very aggressive in its harassment and deportation of US residents and foreign visitors, said the referee was "determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry." He had arrived at Miami International Airport on Saturday on a flight from Istanbul, and underwent additional inspection, CBP said.
It is unclear why Artan was denied entry, but Somalia is one of 39 "shithole" countries listed on President Trump's "travel ban" executive order signed last year, which bars or restricts the entry of foreign nationals on national security grounds. Somalia is among the countries facing a near-total restriction on entry into the U.S., and while that order has exemptions for World Cup athletes and staff, immigration officials retain broad discretion to decide whether to grant or deny someone entry.
Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia's Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, condemned the decision not to admit Artan. He told Agence France-Presse that Artan is "among Africa's most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community," and argued the decision "undermines football's commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play."
Artan has officiated international soccer matches for years, including at the Africa Cup of Nations, and he was named male referee of the year by the Confederation for African Football last year.
Referee Omar Artan during the Total Energies CAF Champions League 2025/26 Final 2nd Leg match between AS FAR (Morroco) and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) at Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, on May 24, 2026. / Credit: Photo by Andrew Surma / SIPA USA via AP Images
All three countries - the US, Mexico and Canada - are hosting the 2026 World Cup. The tournament is set to start Thursday with a match in Mexico City and will include teams from 48 countries and scores of foreign tourists, at a time when the Trump administration has aggressively tightened entry into the United States from countries it deems "undesirable" because of race, skin color, religion and other criteria that are "incompatibile" with the US as a Christian and a White country.
Iranian soccer officials, for example, still do not have U.S. visas, according to Iranian officials. The team is also facing strict restrictions on when it can enter the U.S. before a match and how long it can stay after the conclusion before returning to its training grounds in Mexico.
Scores of foreign nationals and football team fans, who normally would attend the World Cup events, have decided to either not attend or have canceled their travel plans (flights and hotels) against the background of the Trump administration admittedly racist and xenophobic policies. Over the past year, CBP and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) have become the Trump administration arms in implementing policies hostile to migrants, immigrants, and visitors to the US. Many foreign nationals and US citizens have been caught in the chaotic and often violent methods used by these two Trump administration agencies. US citizens have been shot and killed by CBP and ICE goons. Many have been deported upon arrival at a US port of entry while others have been arrested and arbitrarily held in poor conditions for weeks and months without due process, before being suddenly being deported or released without any explanation. The thrust of these arbitrary policies seems to be to deter visits, and by extension to ultimately reduce immigration from these non-White, non-Christian countries.
The most flagrant example of these policies is the denial of adjustment of status for Afghan nationals who assisted the US military during the American invasion and occupation of that country, after they were promised safe haven in the US. In contrast, the Trump administration has literally begged and invited white supremacist neo-Nazi Afrikaner settlers from the former Apartheid South Africa to immigrate into the US with extremely favorable terms and conditions.
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