CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

The Beautiful Game Meets the Border Guard

Somali World Cup soccer referee, Omar Artan, who was banned from entry into the US. Photo: Omar Artan’s Facebook page.

I know Pete Hegseth put his foot in his mouth and took his eye off the ball on a beach in Normandy the other day when, during a D-Day anniversary gathering, he declared: “Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies.”

Critics described the speech as grotesque and inappropriate for such a solemn and commemorative occasion. Yet if Hegseth was trying to project an image of a vigilant and uncompromising America, events surrounding the World Cup have suggested that message is being heard rather more widely than intended.

A winger receives the ball on the touchline and, with three defenders converging, pirouettes through.

You know something is amiss when a World Cup referee is denied entry to the United States while Canada and Mexico appear to present no such obstacles.

That is what happened when Somali match official Omar Artan was refused entry because of “vetting concerns”. I do not know the details of the case, but after arriving at Miami International Airport on a diplomatic passport, Artan was stopped by US Customs and Border Protection. Nor was this any ordinary referee. Artan—widely regarded as Africa’s leading official—was the recipient of the 2025 CAF Men’s Referee of the Year award. He was an esteemed professional effectively shown the red card by one of the tournament’s host nations and held for eleven hours. Perhaps it was naive of him to think there would be no problems given that around eighty per cent of Somali visa applications are refused.

It did not........

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