Award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan, set to be the first from his country to officiate at the World Cup finals, was denied entry to the United States, a sports ministry official told AFP on Monday.

It was not immediately clear why Artan was barred from entering the US at Miami International Airport, but Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration.

“Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior advisor to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, told AFP.

Artan had a valid visa for the US, Abshir said. He has flown back to Istanbul, where he has been staying.

“Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football’s commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play,” Abshir added.

Artan was among the 52 referees announced by FIFA to officiate at the June-July World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

He has been officiating in the Somali national football league championships since he became a FIFA referee in 2018.

He has also officiated at the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in Algeria, and in 2025 he was named by the Confederation of African Football as men’s referee of the year.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud praised Artan in April after he made history as the first Somalian to be selected to officiate at the World Cup finals.

“I commend the effort, professionalism, and integrity shown by referee Omar, as he has become a symbol of inspiration for the new generation of Somalis,” said Mohamud.

AFP

Former France international Lassana Diarra has reached agreement with FIFA and the Belgian football association in his long-running 65 million euro ($76 million) legal battle, a source close to the case told AFP on Monday.

The former Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder’s challenge to FIFA prompted world football’s governing body to amend its transfer rules after a landmark Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) legal ruling in October 2024, but he had been unable to reach a settlement.

The CJEU found that FIFA rules impede the free movement of players by “imposing considerable legal risks, unforeseeable and potentially very high financial risks as well as major sporting risks on those players and clubs wishing to employ them”, thereby disrupting the transfer system.

The 35-times capped former France international announced last October that he was turning to the Belgian courts to enforce the CJEU ruling.

Contacted by AFP, FIFA indicated that “following the comprehensive agreement they reached, Mr. Lassana Diarra and FIFA have settled all legal proceedings between them,” adding that FIFA “does not acknowledge any wrongdoing and has not made any compensation payments”.

Diarra’s lawyers told AFP they could not comment at this stage.


The origin of this case lies in Diarra’s dispute over the terms of his departure from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014.

Due to a drastic reduction in his salary, Diarra left the Moscow club, but the club deemed the termination unfair and demanded 20 million euros from him, later reduced to 10.5 million euros.

As a result, Belgian club Charleroi ultimately decided against signing the French player for fear of having to bear part of these sanctions.

Following the CJEU’s decision known as the “Diarra ruling,” FIFA adjusted its regulations on player transfers.

The Justice for Players Foundation also launched a class action lawsuit aimed at achieving greater fairness in transfers, an initiative joined by various national professional footballers’ unions, including the French union (UNFP).

England manager Thomas Tuchel said Jude Bellingham faces stiff competition to secure ⁠a starting place at the World Cup, describing the Real Madrid midfielder as one of several contenders in ‌a deep squad ahead of the tournament.

The 22-year-old featured in just ‌four of England’s qualifying matches, while Aston Villa’s Morgan ‌Rogers appeared in all eight, underlining the selection dilemma facing ‌Tuchel in the number 10 role.

Asked if Bellingham had ‌a fight to make the starting lineup, Tuchel was unequivocal.

“Yes, he has,” Tuchel told reporters. “He knows he is one of the ‌starters, but we have 14 or 15 ⁠potential starters.

“These roles can ‌always change, but at the moment I think there are 14 ​or 15 proper starters and Jude is one of them,” he added.

England are preparing for their ​World Cup campaign in Florida, where they opened their warm-up schedule with a 1-0 victory over New Zealand in ⁠Tampa on Saturday. ​Harry Kane scored the only goal.

Bellingham captained the side for the first time during the second half of that game, with Tuchel rotating his lineup in the hot and ‌humid conditions.

Despite the competition for places, Tuchel said he had been encouraged by Bellingham’s recent form following injury.

“He looks good in training,” the German said. “I think he is at the moment in a sweet spot because he has had his break and has the hunger to be back on the pitch.”