A Somali soccer referee who was denied permission to enter the United States to participate in the World Cup received a hero’s welcome from a cheering crowd at the airport upon his return to his home country.
The referee, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, is widely admired in Somalia, a country of 19 million people in the Horn of Africa, where he is a rare example of someone recognized internationally for sports.
Mr. Artan was one of 52 officials, seven of them Africans, selected by FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, to referee at the tournament. The Confederation of African Football, the African soccer organization, named Mr. Artan the continent’s top referee last year, and he would have been the first Somali to take charge of a World Cup game.
But on arrival at Miami International Airport on Saturday, Mr. Artan said he was taken aside for questioning by officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ultimately put back on a plane to his point of departure, Istanbul. He flew back to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, early on Wednesday.
The U.S. border authorities said in an email that the decision was made over “vetting concerns” but did not provide further details. Top soccer officials and former players, as well as prominent Democrats including Hillary Clinton, have criticized the decision.
Among many Somalis, the mood was jubilant anyway.
“I feel really happy he is finally back to where he is loved the most,” Sacdiya Olad, 23, said. “He is a national hero for us and for Africa as well because he is the best referee in Africa.”
Somalia’s soccer federation said that it would host a formal welcome event for Mr. Artan at the national stadium later in the day.
At a news conference at the airport, Mr. Artan thanked FIFA and the Somali soccer federation for their support.
“I am not disappointed,” he said. “I promise that in the next World Cup I will represent Somalia at the highest level and make history.”
“The Somali youth should never give up on their dreams,” he said.
Somalia has had a fraught relationship with the United States in recent years. The Trump administration has imposed severe travel and visa restrictions, part of a widespread ban on countries in Africa and the Middle East.
In December, President Trump singled out Somali immigrants, calling them “garbage” in a tirade at the White House and saying that Somalia was “not even a country.” Even so, the Pentagon has worked with Somalia’s government to conduct scores of airstrikes against militant targets, and the country has long regarded the United States as a key ally on security.
It was not clear whether FIFA had sought clearance for Mr. Artan to enter the United States. FIFA said after he was denied entry that he would not be able to officiate at the World Cup. Other countries attending the World Cup have faced difficulties traveling to the United States.
Matthew Mpoke Bigg contributed reporting from Nairobi, Kenya.
