While FIFA makes payments to referees after the tournament ends, the salary a referee receives from being assigned to the World Cup and with performance-based bonuses can reach up to 100 thousand dollars. Referees are not informed in advance about the salary they will receive in the tournament.
Artan, 34, who was preparing to become the first Somali referee to take part in the World Cup, was interrogated for 11 hours at Miami Airport “on suspicion of terrorist ties” and was not allowed to enter the USA.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, at the press conference he held at the beginning of the tournament, described what happened in response to criticism and questions about the issue as “unfortunate”.
Artan, who was chosen as the “referee of the year” by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 2025, was assigned to the UEFA Super Cup match to be played between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria, on August 12, after he was prevented from entering the USA.