White House defends visa refusals for Somali referee, Iranians

WASHINGTON: The White House official overseeing preparations for the World Cup said on Tuesday that the United States had not denied entry to any players or coaches, while defending visa refusals affecting a Somali referee and some members of Iran’s support staff.

Speaking at an Atlantic Council event in Washington, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, said 35 teams had already arrived in the United States. He said no players or coaches had been refused visas, but added that some officials had been blocked from entering the country.

Giuliani was asked specifically about Somali referee Omar Artan, who was turned back at Miami airport. He said the administration was trying to balance tournament access with security concerns and prevent bad actors from entering the country under the cover of the World Cup. A US State Department official told AFP late on Tuesday that Artan was linked to suspected members of terrorist organisations, which made him ineligible for admission to the United States.

Artan, who was named the Confederation of African Football’s men’s referee of the year in 2025, would have become the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup. Somalia is among the countries covered by a travel ban introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration as part of a wider immigration crackdown.

Iran team arrangements affected

Giuliani also addressed concerns involving Iran, which is due to play all three of its group-stage matches in the United States. He said all of the Iranian coaching staff would be allowed in, but some Iranian officials would not, describing the decision as justified. He added that he could not discuss specific cases, but said some people presenting themselves as coaches might not in fact be coaches.

He said Trump wanted a level playing field for all teams in the tournament, while ensuring that individuals directly working with the IRGC, or Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were not able to enter the United States.

The Iranian football federation said on Tuesday that its allocation of supporter tickets had been withdrawn and that some team support staff had been denied visas. Iran has also moved its training base to Mexico because of the continuing military conflict with the United States.

Security and Iran warning over stadium protests

Giuliani said there were currently no credible threats to the World Cup, adding that the intelligence community had been expanded and would keep monitoring the situation until the end of the tournament on July 19.

Separately, Iran warned it could suspend participation in matches if unauthorised flags were displayed or if chants targeting the national side were heard inside stadiums. According to Iranian media, Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said FIFA had been informed of Iran’s position.

He said the team manager would be responsible for halting a match if unofficial flags were brought in or slogans were chanted against the Iranian team in the venues where it plays. Donyamali also said Iranian authorities had been assured that no disruptive incident would take place during Iran’s match against Egypt.