B.C. premier says Somali World Cup ref banned by U.S. would be welcome in Vancouver

Advertisement

Advertise with us

VANCOUVER - British Columbia Premier David Eby says a World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States should be allowed to officiate a match in Vancouver instead.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

VANCOUVER – British Columbia Premier David Eby says a World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States should be allowed to officiate a match in Vancouver instead.

Eby says on social media platform X that Omar Artan “would be welcomed and celebrated in British Columbia for what he’s overcome.”

Artan was going to be the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup, but was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection says in a statement.

Referee Omar Artan, center, of Somalia, is confronted by players after calling a penalty kick during the CAF Champions League final soccer match between AS FAR Rabat and Mamelodi Sundowns, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Referee Omar Artan, center, of Somalia, is confronted by players after calling a penalty kick during the CAF Champions League final soccer match between AS FAR Rabat and Mamelodi Sundowns, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

FIFA says Artan won’t be able to train or officiate at the World Cup, and it’s up to a host government to decide who is admitted into their country.

Artan was issued a U.S. visa last week, according to the Somali Embassy in Kenya that processed it, and was named the Africa’s best male referee in 2025.

Vancouver is hosting seven World Cup matches, while fellow Canadian host city Toronto is hosting six.

“Let’s have him referee in Vancouver,” Eby said in his X post on Tuesday.

The Somalia Youth and Sports Ministry said its embassy in the U.S. was trying to resolve the problem to allow Artan to referee at the World Cup, which opens on Thursday.

The refusal to allow him into the U.S. might be related to the larger travel restrictions on Somalia “rather than any specific allegation against him,” said Isse Aden Abshir, a senior adviser at the Somalia’s sports ministry.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Day 1 of Jets training camp in the books with pairings essentially cemented

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Day 1 of Jets training camp in the books with pairings essentially cemented

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Thursday, Sep. 17, 2026

Nearly six minutes into his question-and-answer session, Scott Arniel took a welcome detour from the news of the day.

After exhausting the discussion around the goalie who wasn’t in training camp, the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets finally got a query about the line combinations and defensive pairings that were unveiled in training camp.

And unlike past years, when exhibition games were more frequent and the training camp wasn’t this condensed, Arniel conceded these groupings were intentional and were likely staying together for some time.

The expansion to an 84-game regular season brings with it a reduction to four pre-season games and a much shorter training camp, which could limit the amount of experimentation that Arniel can do during the next two weeks.

Read
Thursday, Sep. 17, 2026

B.C. premier says Somali World Cup ref banned by U.S. would be welcome in Vancouver

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

B.C. premier says Somali World Cup ref banned by U.S. would be welcome in Vancouver

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Jun. 9, 2026

VANCOUVER - British Columbia Premier David Eby says a World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States should be allowed to officiate a match in Vancouver instead.

Eby says on social media platform X that Omar Artan "would be welcomed and celebrated in British Columbia for what he's overcome."

Artan was going to be the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup, but was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection says in a statement.

FIFA says Artan won't be able to train or officiate at the World Cup, and it's up to a host government to decide who is admitted into their country.

Read
Tuesday, Jun. 9, 2026

Give-and-take relationship of Roman leaders takes centre stage in Harris’s historical fiction

Reviewed by Kathryne Cardwell 4 minute read Preview

Give-and-take relationship of Roman leaders takes centre stage in Harris’s historical fiction

Reviewed by Kathryne Cardwell 4 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

British novelist Robert Harris’s latest work is a reflection on tyranny, corruption and betrayal among all-powerful political leaders.

You might be forgiven for thinking it’s a contemporary thriller — it’s actually historical fiction set in ancient Rome.

A former BBC journalist, Harris debuted as a novelist in 1992 with Fatherland, an alternative history where Nazi Germany won the Second World War.

Since then, the prolific author has become best-known for his works of historical fiction, especially his ancient Rome trilogy released from 2006-2015 and the novel Conclave, which was published in 2016 and was made into the film of the same name in 2024.

Read
2:01 AM CDT

Kinew delivered what most of us wanted; now we’ll have to deal with the consequences

Dan Lett 5 minute read Preview

Kinew delivered what most of us wanted; now we’ll have to deal with the consequences

Dan Lett 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:43 AM CDT

Premier Wab Kinew has decided to adopt permanent daylight savings time, which means a permanent end to the spring forward, fall back tradition of adjusting our clocks. And absolutely no one is surprised.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 8:43 AM CDT

Desperate Poilievre wants Canadians to believe the sky is falling when it’s just cloudy outside

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Preview

Desperate Poilievre wants Canadians to believe the sky is falling when it’s just cloudy outside

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Yesterday at 12:47 PM CDT

Pierre Poilievre has a problem.

Canadians just don’t seem to be paying much attention to him anymore.

So, naturally, the Conservative Opposition leader has decided to turn up the volume.

At a recent party caucus retreat in Penticton, B.C., Poilievre delivered the familiar message: Canada is in trouble, Canadians are hurting and the Liberal government is making everything worse.

Read
Yesterday at 12:47 PM CDT

Klein launches mayoral campaign with pledge to make Winnipeg safest city in Canada

Joyanne Pursaga 5 minute read Preview

Klein launches mayoral campaign with pledge to make Winnipeg safest city in Canada

Joyanne Pursaga 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:48 PM CDT

Mayoral candidate Kevin Klein says he would make Winnipeg the safest city in Canada by the end of his four-year term, if elected.

“Crime is happening all over the city and we have to take steps to address it,” Klein said at his first campaign announcement Friday morning.

The candidate said crime is “getting out of control,” noting his grandchild’s car seat was recently stolen from a vehicle parked in a typically quiet neighbourhood.

He promised to hire 100 to 110 more police officers, which he believes would cost between $9 million and $11 million.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 7:48 PM CDT