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Lastest News Nigeria, Politics, Business, Sport, Interview
By Eppe Franklyne| The head of the White House World Cup Task Force, Andrew Giuliani, has defended the decision to deny visas to a Somali referee and several members of Iran’s World Cup support team ahead of the tournament in the United States.
Speaking at an event organised by the Atlantic Council in Washington on Tuesday, Giuliani stressed that the US government remains committed to welcoming participating teams while maintaining strict security measures. He revealed that 35 teams had already entered the country without issues involving players or coaches.
“To this point we’ve had 35 teams that have come into the United States,” Giuliani said.
“No players, no coaches have been denied,” Giuliani said. “There have been some officials that have been denied, and for good reason.”
The comments came after questions over the refusal of entry to Omar Artan, the award-winning Somali referee who was set to become the first official from Somalia to referee at a FIFA World Cup. Artan, named the Confederation of African Football’s men’s referee of the year in 2025, was reportedly turned back at Miami airport.
“While I can’t go into the details, what I can tell you, high level, is it was for a very good reason,” Giuliani said.
The issue has drawn attention because Somalia is among the countries affected by a travel ban introduced under the administration of Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Iran’s World Cup preparations have also faced challenges. The Iranian team moved its training camp to Mexico because of ongoing military tensions involving the United States.
Giuliani confirmed that all Iranian coaches would receive entry but said some officials had been refused visas. “There are some people that claim that they are coaches that may not be coaches,” he stated.
Despite the concerns, Giuliani said there are currently no credible threats to the tournament. He added that intelligence agencies continue to closely monitor security ahead of the competition’s final match on July 19.
