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White House Task Force Chief Defends Visa Denial To Somali Referee, Iranian Staff
White House Task Force: The chief of the White House Task Force for the FIFA World Cup, Andrew Giuliani, has defended the decision to deny visas to a Somali referee and certain support staff members of the Iranian football team, just days before the global showpiece kicks off in North America.
Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was due to officiate in the FIFA World Cup, was denied entry to the United States on Tuesday. Artan was among the 52 referees announced by FIFA to officiate at the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States, which runs from June 11 to July 19.
"So there's been one referee who has not been admitted, and while I can't go into the details, what I can tell you at a high level is it was for a very good reason. I support that decision. I was speaking directly with the secretary of Homeland Security and the commissioner of CBP on Sunday.
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