The executive director of the White House World Cup task force has defended the decision to deny Somali referee Omar Artan entry to the United States. "The one referee you're referring to, there's some stuff we can't talk about but at least stuff that's come out was that he was talking to some very, very bad people right before he was coming to the United States of America," Andrew Giuliani told the USA Today on Sunday. "I'll leave it at that, but what I can tell you is we're not going to let the guys of a soccer tournament allow bad actors to come to the United States.
It's our mandate to make sure that people have an unbelievable experience. That means making sure we can account for the people that are coming into the United States," he added.
Artan, was denied entry to the US despite having a valid visa.Authorities cited security concerns over alleged ties to a terrorist organization in his home country Somalia. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the decision was "unfortunate"and confirmed that Artan will be paid for the work he would have carried out at the tournament.
The travel restrictions in the US have been a major topic on the sidelines of the tournament. Iran players and some staff were granted visas after months of uncertainty, for example. But Giuliani praised how the US has handled the situation. "More than anything, we can look at all the players that have gotten in that have had visas. Really, really amazing. All the coaches have had visas, so all the play on the field have not been affected," he said.
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