FIFA will pay Somali referee Omar Artan for his World Cup match assignments despite his inability to officiate at the tournament after he was denied entry into the United States, according to ESPN.
Citing sources, ESPN reported that Artan, regarded as Africa’s leading referee, was turned away upon arriving in Miami last week because of visa-related issues.
The development forced the Somali official to return to his home country before the start of the competition.
Despite his absence from the tournament, sources told ESPN that FIFA will still compensate Artan for the assignments he was due to handle.
Artan’s inability to participate represents a major setback for one of Africa’s most highly rated match officials, who had been selected to officiate at football’s biggest tournament.
