The banned Somali referee Omar Artan arrived home on Wednesday, as seen in a photograph by Feisal Omar for Reuters. Artan was set to become the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup finals. A Fifa-certified referee since 2018, he officiated at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2023 and was named the 2025 Confederation of African Football men's referee of the year. However, last weekend, Artan was denied entry to the United States at Miami International Airport.
US Travel Ban and Allegations
The US has not officially provided a reason for Artan's ban, but Somalia is among the countries on Donald Trump's travel ban list. Following the news, an anonymous administration source claimed Artan had possible links to terrorists, a claim met with widespread skepticism. Jeremy Corbyn argues that this is a clear case of racism.
This incident is just the tip of the iceberg. Somalia is one of 39 countries on the US travel ban list, including Laos, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and South Sudan. Consequently, fans from over a quarter of the nations participating in the World Cup face visa rejections and restrictions, undermining Fifa's claim that 'football unites the world'. The tournament, meant to bring people together, threatens to drive them apart.
Human Rights Concerns
When a World Cup is co-hosted by an administration that divides, detains, and deports at will, problems arise. International organizations have warned about a human rights emergency extending beyond match officials to players, fans, and residents. According to Amnesty International, the 'starkest threat' at the World Cup co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico is the 'machine of abusive, discriminatory and deadly immigration enforcement and mass detention in the USA'.
In January, footage showed an ICE agent shooting dead Renee Good, and in February, ICE agents killed Alex Pretti. At least 17 people have died in ICE custody this year. In June 2024, the US moved to deport over 500,000 legal immigrants, six times the number expected to watch the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium. The acting director of ICE has stated the agency will be 'a key part of the overall security apparatus for the World Cup'.
Neither Fifa nor the US has assured fans they will be safe from unlawful detention, raids, or deportation. Concerns raised by Amnesty include severe restrictions on peaceful protest, displacement of homeless people, expansion of mass surveillance, and doubts about the US providing a 'safe, welcoming and inclusive' tournament, especially for the LGBTQ+ community.
Hypocrisy of World Leaders
When Qatar hosted the World Cup in 2022, Corbyn joined human rights organizations in raising concerns over freedom of expression, LGBTQ+ rights, and worker exploitation. He notes the deafening silence of those who spoke out four years ago, including the UK prime minister, exposing double standards and cowardice in defending human rights only when convenient.
This hypocrisy has helped justify complicity in severe crimes. Since Trump received the newly created Fifa Peace prize in December 2025, the US has illegally kidnapped the president of Venezuela, waged an illegal war on Iran, and deepened its blockade on Cuba. The UK government has failed to condemn these actions, allowed use of its airbases for strikes on Iran, and abandoned the Cuban people. This is without mentioning UK participation in Israel's genocide in Gaza.
Government minister Liz Kendall stated, 'I'm not responsible for America's immigration policy,' in response to Artan's ban. Corbyn argues that part of the reason the US shows flagrant disregard for human rights is because governments like the UK remain silent.
Football is a game, but people's lives are not. Corbyn calls on the government to blow the whistle on a foreign policy of appeasement, cowardice, and hypocrisy, and to defend human rights everywhere.
Jeremy Corbyn is the MP for Islington North and parliamentary leader of Your Party. He was leader of the Labour party from 2015 to 2020.
