White House Defends Visa Denials for Somali Referee, Iranian Officials Ahead of FIFA World Cup

The White House has defended its decision to deny entry visas to Somali referee Omar Artan and some members of Iran’s World Cup delegation, insisting the move was based on national security considerations rather than discrimination.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council in Washington on Tuesday, Executive Director of the White House Task Force for the FIFA World Cup, Andrew Giuliani, said the United States remains committed to ensuring a safe and secure tournament while maintaining fairness for participating teams.

Giuliani disclosed that while all players and coaches from qualified teams have been granted access to the United States, some officials and support personnel were denied visas after undergoing security assessments.

“To this point, we’ve had 35 teams that have come into the United States. No players, no coaches have been denied,” Giuliani said.

“There have been some officials that have been denied, and for good reason.”

The comments come amid growing debate over the treatment of Somali referee Omar Artan, who was reportedly denied entry upon arrival at Miami International Airport.

Artan, who was named the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men’s Referee of the Year in 2025, had been set to become the first Somali official to referee at a FIFA World Cup.

Although Giuliani declined to disclose the specific reasons behind the decision, he maintained that authorities acted based on security considerations.

“While I can’t go into the details, what I can tell you, high level, is it was for a very good reason,” he said.

The development has attracted attention because Somalia is among the countries affected by the travel restrictions introduced by the administration of President Donald Trump as part of broader immigration and security measures.

The White House official also addressed concerns raised by Iran’s football federation, which recently announced that some members of its support staff had been denied visas and that its ticket allocation for supporters had been revoked.

Iran, one of the participating nations at the tournament, was also forced to relocate its training base to Mexico amid ongoing tensions and military hostilities involving the United States and Iran.

Giuliani stressed that the Iranian national team itself would not be affected by the restrictions.

“All the Iranian coaching staff is coming in,” he said, adding that some officials would not be allowed entry due to concerns identified during the vetting process.

“There are some Iranian officials that are not coming in — again for very good reason,” Giuliani stated.

He suggested that some individuals seeking entry under official team credentials may not have had legitimate football-related roles.

“There are some people that claim that they are coaches that may not be coaches,” he added.

Giuliani further emphasized that the US government is determined to prevent individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), designated by Washington as a terrorist organisation, from using the World Cup as a means of entering the country.

The White House Task Force chief also reassured participating nations and fans that security agencies are closely monitoring potential threats ahead of the tournament.

According to him, there are currently no credible threats to the World Cup, but intelligence and security agencies remain on heightened alert and will continue surveillance operations until the conclusion of the competition on July 19.

The visa controversy has sparked debate among football stakeholders and human rights advocates, with some questioning whether the restrictions could affect the inclusiveness and global spirit traditionally associated with the FIFA World Cup.

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