Award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan has been removed from the World Cup officiating team after being denied entry into the United States by FIFA. He would have been the first Somali referee at a World Cup.

Award-winning Somali referee Omar Artan has been dropped from officiating at the World Cup after being barred from entering the United States, world football's governing body FIFA said on Monday. A FIFA spokesperson confirmed in a statement that Artan would play no part in the World Cup. Artan would have been the first Somali to referee at a World Cup.