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

Jets GM insists club’s not working under any deadline in netminder’s trade request

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Preview

Jets GM insists club’s not working under any deadline in netminder’s trade request

Mike McIntyre 7 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:27 PM CDT

Connor Hellebuyck and his family were subject to so much post-Olympic vitriol that both the Winnipeg Jets security team and even police had to get involved.

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 5:27 PM CDT

Police officer faces charges of domestic assault

Free Press staff 2 minute read Preview

Police officer faces charges of domestic assault

Free Press staff 2 minute read Yesterday at 4:26 PM CDT

A Winnipeg police officer has been charged after police said he broke into a woman’s home and attacked her.

Police were sent to a home on Wednesday shortly before 10:20 p.m., the Winnipeg Police Service said in a Thursday news release. When officers arrived, they found the man, 20-year member in his 40s, inside a home assaulting the woman, the release said.

The man was taken into custody and the woman was given medical aid.

She told officers the man broke into the home, threatened to kill her and then attacked her.

Read
Yesterday at 4:26 PM CDT

Lauded Manitoba author chronicled life in the Interlake

By Sheldon Birnie 5 minute read Preview

Lauded Manitoba author chronicled life in the Interlake

By Sheldon Birnie 5 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2026

Longtime Manitoba author, editor and professor David Arnason died on Monday at age 86.

Read
Wednesday, Sep. 16, 2026

‘A new future’: city dentist Cholakis donates $2M to school of dental hygiene

Melissa Martin 3 minute read Preview

‘A new future’: city dentist Cholakis donates $2M to school of dental hygiene

Melissa Martin 3 minute read Updated: 5:04 PM CDT

Dental hygienist training in Manitoba is getting a big boost, after a major gift from a local dentist.

On Thursday, the dental hygiene school at the University of Manitoba’s Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry unveiled a new $2-million donation from Dr. Ernest Cholakis. It’s the largest gift the program has ever received, and in honour of the funding, the school will be named the Cholakis School of Dental Hygiene.

The gift was unveiled at a ceremony Thursday morning at the Brodie Centre at the U of M's Bannatyne campus. The benefactor and other dignitaries, including Premier Wab Kinew, were in attendance, as well as the three-year program’s current students.

Cholakis, who graduated from the U of M’s dentistry school in 1982, had high praise for the dental hygiene profession.

Read
Updated: 5:04 PM CDT

Pars a plenty in The Pas

Ryan Desjarlais 4 minute read Preview

Pars a plenty in The Pas

Ryan Desjarlais 4 minute read 1:02 PM CDT

North of Lake Winnipegosis, just on the Manitoba side of the Saskatchewan border, lies The Pas.

The town is one of the oldest of Manitoba’s northern communities and was once a thriving pulp and paper town. Most of the community is still in good shape, although showing its age.

Across the river is the impressive Opaskwayak Cree Nation, with its new mall and impressive hotel and casino. VIA Rail services these communities which makes for a nice mid-week or long-weekend getaway without the stress of driving.

If you do take the train, throw your sticks onto the platform. There are many activities to take in while you are there, and one of those activities is golf.

Read
1:02 PM CDT

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