The World Cup is already off to a terrible start, writes James Hanson

Omar Artan, who was set to be the first Somali ever to referee at the tournament, has been dropped from FIFA’s list of match officials after he was denied entry to the United States. No reason has been given for Artan’s repatriation, although Somalia is one of several countries on Donald Trump’s travel ban list.

Like any sovereign nation, the US is entitled to enforce whichever immigration rules it chooses, but FIFA’s craven capitulation to the White House is beyond pathetic. Why didn’t they demand an exception be made for a man who appears to pose zero threat and who is clearly among the world’s best officials, having been named the Confederation of African Football men’s referee of the year in 2025?

FIFA could also have reached some form of compromise, for instance, by using Artan only for matches staged in the other host countries, Canada and Mexico. And yet, after being barred from entering America at Miami International Airport, the sport’s governing body has confirmed that he will now miss the tournament entirely. If VAR can correct injustices on the pitch, why hasn’t this abysmal decision come under review, too?

Sadly, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has already made a Faustian pact with Donald Trump. The ludicrous decision to award the US President the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize last year, an award seemingly invented for the sole purpose of massaging Trump’s oversized ego, went beyond parody. In the months since, Trump has launched a war with Iran, threatened to take over Greenland and used the American military to capture the Venezuelan president.

For the record, I am not among those who believe the US is an unsuitable country to host football’s biggest spectacle. For all Trump’s flaws, America remains a liberal western democracy full of incredible people with whom we are rightly allied. Furthermore, given the two previous host nations were Qatar and Russia, one can hardly claim the US is too problematic to stage the World Cup.

But what the banning of Omar Artan illustrates is the extent to which Donald Trump’s shadow will loom over this entire event. The presence of Iran, a country at war with the US, as one of the participating nations merely serves to underline this. Indeed, the Iranian football federation now claims its allocation of fan tickets for the group stage has been revoked just days before the start of the tournament.

International sporting events retain their allure, in part, because they provide an opportunity to unite the world, not divide it. Sadly, I fear Trump has no interest in using the World Cup for any such purpose. If England are fortunate enough to lift the trophy next month, it will be the US President handing it to Harry Kane and hogging the limelight, as he did last summer when he stayed on the podium to celebrate with Chelsea players after presenting the Club World Cup.

And don’t forget - this isn’t the last time Trump will have an opportunity to stamp his identity on a major sporting extravaganza. The Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 will come towards the end of his term, and you can be damn sure he will do everything it takes to turn them into the Trump Olympics. We ain’t seen nothing yet.

____________________

Listen to James Hanson on LBC on weekends between 4 and 7am.

LBC Opinion provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.

To contact us email opinion@lbc.co.uk