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While the days leading up to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup are usually marked by celebratory welcome ceremonies by host nations, the narrative consuming this year’s build-up has focused on the prohibitive entry conditions imposed by the Donald Trump administration on various players, fans and match officials.

It began a few weeks ago when Cameroonian-born Swiss striker and vice captain Breel Embolo encountered last-minute issues with his Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) application, forcing him to miss his team’s flight to the United States. Around the same time, Moroccan defender Zakaria El Ouahdi – voted the best African player in Belgium’s Jupiler League – faced the same problem and also missed his team’s departure.

The biggest scandal, however, emerged on Monday (June 7) when Omar Artan, one of seven African referees selected to officiate at the 2026 World Cup, was refused entry at Miami International Airport, en route to the city where the referees’ base camp was due to be established.

To be clear, Artan’s rejection had nothing to do with his competence. The 33-year-old is a rising star in African football. In 2024, he refereed his first Africa Cup of Nations tournament. In 2025, he was the only sub-Saharan African referee at the FIFA U20 World Cup and just a few weeks ago,........

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