Omar Abdulkadir Artan was supposed to make history this week, becoming the first Somali referee to officiate at a World Cup. Instead, he’s watching from outside the US, denied entry without explanation by the Trump administration. Welcome to the most inclusive World Cup ever.

Fifa, the game’s governing body, is projecting revenues of $8.9bn (£6.7bn) from this tournament – double what the 2024 Olympics made. More teams: 48, up from 32. More matches: 104 over 39 days. More markets, just how they like it. This is good business.

But this much is also clear: not everyone is invited to the party. In the days preceding Thursday’s opening ceremony, the news has been of exclusion, disunity and segregation.

It is probably best to start with Artan, a Somali referee named Africa’s best male referee last year and Fifa accredited since 2018. Artan was gracious in spite of the circumstances. “I am very, very disappointed,” he told the New York Times, “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 deserved it. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the president of Somalia, described him as “a symbol of inspiration for the new generation of Somalis.” That, evidently, is not enough for the Trump administration.

Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House taskforce on the World Cup, said:........

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