The Somali World Cup referee who had been blocked from entering the United States will receive his full pay for the matches he would have officiated.
Multiple reports on Sunday indicated that Omar Artan will be paid despite not being able to enter the United States over what U.S. Border and Customs Protection claimed were “vetting concerns” after he arrived at Miami International Airport ahead of the World Cup.
The exact financial figure that Artan will be paid is still being worked out due to the number of games he was supposed to be assigned to, ESPN reported.
Artan had been traveling to the U.S. when he was stopped and held up for over 11 hours at the airport on June 6 before being sent on a plane to Istanbul, Turkey, to return to Somalia.
U.S. officials claimed that Artan had an “association with suspected members of terror organizations.”
“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” Artan told The Athletic in an Interview. “I think that they have a problem with my country.”
Following the ordeal, UEFA announced that Artan would officiate the Super Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in August.
Artan was also given a hero’s welcome when he returned to Somalia earlier this week.
FIFA has come under fire for not intervening in Artan’s denial into the United States, and saying that it was not involved in the immigration process and that the host countries ultimately decide who is allowed entry.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the situation with Artan “unfortunate.”
“Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just chill, relax,” Infantino said. “We work on everything. We try to solve everything.
“Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution.”
