Somali World Cup referee denied U.S. entry; B.C. premier appears to mistake him for refugee
British Columbia Premier David Eby described the Somali referee as a “refugee” who had “overcome significant challenges” and proposed he officiate World Cup matches in Vancouver where he would be “treated like gold.”
Left: Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, the first from his country selected to officiate at a FIFA World Cup, who was denied entry to the United States over security vetting concerns. Right: B.C. Premier David Eby, who offered to welcome Artan to referee in Vancouver and described him as someone who had “overcome” hardship — comments that sparked online jokes the premier had mistaken the professional referee for a refugee.Illustration by Alex Zoltan with the Western Standard using photos from Reuters and Bloomberg.
