Idman.biz
Former FIFA president Zepp Blatter has criticized the organization for the US immigration authorities' decision to deny entry to Somali referee Omar Abdulcadir Arte for the 2026 World Cup.
Sport.Biz reports that Arte is the first referee from his country to be included in the list of referees for the final tournament. In 2025, he was named the best referee in the continent by the African Football Confederation.
"This is incredible and absurd. When someone entrusts the organization of the World Cup to a country, there are two sacred and fundamental principles. The first is the security that the country must provide for the event. The second is the issuance of entry visas for all FIFA officials. And there is nothing more official than a referee. If a country denies a referee entry, it is a serious problem and the World Cup should not be held in that country. Mainly, FIFA is to blame: it has waived this principle, which the country [the US] does not respect. We cannot stop the tournament, but this is not normal.
The current [FIFA] president must show that he is stronger than his great friend in the White House, shouldn't he? When someone starts to dominate politics, it's bad. Other federations should also protest," - quotes Blatter as saying "L'Équipe".
