White House defends visa ban for World Cup referee from Somalia and Iranians

(Patria) - White House World Cup Task Force chief Andrew Giuliani on Tuesday defended the decision not to issue visas to a Somali referee and part of the Iranian team's support staff, AFP reported.

"So far, we have had 35 teams that have come to the United States," said Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the task force, at an event organized by the Atlantic Council in Washington.

"No player, no coach has been denied," Giuliani said. "There have been some officials who have been denied entry, and for good reason."

"We are striking that balance between ensuring that all the bad actors who... try to enter the country under the guise of the World Cup will not get access to the United States," he added.

Giuliani, the son of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, was specifically asked about the decision to bar Somali referee Omar Artan from entering the country.

"For a very good reason"

Artan, named the African Football Confederation's male referee of the year in 2025, would have been the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup.

"While I cannot go into details, what I can tell you, at a high level, is that it was for a very good reason," Giuliani said of Artan, who was turned back at Miami airport.

Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list imposed by President Donald Trump's administration as part of a broader crackdown on immigration.

Iran, which will play its three group matches on U.S. soil, was forced to move its training base to Mexico due to the ongoing military conflict with the United States.

The Iranian Football Federation announced on Tuesday that the allocation of tickets for Iranian fans had been revoked and that some support staff members had been denied visas.

Giuliani said that "all Iranian coaches are coming," but that there are "some Iranian officials who are not coming - again for a very good reason." He said he "cannot go into details," but "there are some people who claim to be coaches who may not be coaches."

Giuliani said Trump wants to ensure a "level playing field" for all teams at the World Cup, "while at the same time ensuring that people who directly work with, say, the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) do not have the opportunity to access the United States."

The White House envoy also said there are currently "no credible threats" to the tournament, but that the intelligence community has "tripled down" and will continue to monitor the situation "from now until the moment the final goal is scored on July 19."