FIFA World Cup: Somali referee denied entry into US over ‘vetting con…

Miami (Florida) [US], June 9 (ANI): A Somali referee selected for the FIFA World Cup 2026 has been denied entry into the United States due to “vetting concerns", according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), reported ABC News.

The referee arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul on Saturday and was subjected to further screening by immigration authorities. sweetbonanza-app.com

The official was later identified by FIFA as Omar Abdulkadir Artan, the only Somali referee selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In a statement issued on Monday, a CBP spokesperson said the referee “underwent additional inspection, a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility."

The spokesperson added that the referee was “determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry," without providing further details.

According to ABC News, the development comes amid travel restrictions imposed by the Trump administration, with Somalia among the countries included in the travel ban.

FIFA confirmed Artan’s identity and said it had been informed that his immigration status would remain unchanged.

“FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr. Artan’s status will not be changed at present," FIFA said in a statement.

“In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country," it added.

FIFA had previously announced the appointment of 52 referees and 88 assistant referees for the World Cup 2026.

CBP stressed that all travellers entering the United States, including athletes, coaches and support staff, are subject to inspection and vetting procedures.

“Admissibility determinations are made on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection," the spokesperson said.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is scheduled to begin on Thursday and is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. (ANI)

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भारत और श्रीलंका की संयुक्त मेजबानी में खेले गए आईसीसी टी20 विश्व कप 2026 के दौरान बांग्लादेश से जुड़ा विवाद पूरे टूर्नामेंट में चर्चा का विषय बना रहा. इस बवाल के कारण बांग्लादेश ने टूर्नामेंट में हिस्सा नहीं लिया और उसकी जगह फिर स्कॉटलैंड को खेलने का मिला. भारत में टी20 विश्व कप के मुकाबले खेलने को लेकर बांग्लादेश क्रिकेट बोर्ड ने सुरक्षा कारणों का हवाला दिया और टीम को भारत भेजने से मना कर दिया.

हालांकि, इस निर्णय ने क्रिकेट प्रशंसकों और विशेषज्ञों को बीच बहस को जन्म दिया, क्योंकि कई खिलाड़ियों के भारत में खेलने के पक्ष में होने की खबरें भी सामने आई थीं. बीसीबी ने खिलाड़ियों की सुरक्षा के खतरे का हवाला देते हुए अपनी टीम को भारत भेजने से इंकार कर दिया था. इस बीच, पूरे विवाद पर बांग्लादेश के विकेटकीपर- बल्लेबाज लिटन दास ने अपनी प्रतिक्रिया दी है. उनका एक इंटरव्यू सोशल मीडिया पर तेजी से वायरल हो रहा है, जिसमें उन्होंने बांग्लादेश क्रिकेट बोर्ड के अधिकारियों और पाकिस्तान की भूमिका को लेकर तीखी टिप्पणी की है.

इस इंटरव्यू में उन्होंने कहा, ‘बीसीबी अधिकारी ने हमसे कहा कि भारत में कोई सुरक्षा नहीं है. हमने उनसे कहा, हम पाकिस्तान में भी खेल चुके हैं. वे कमरे के बाहर बंदूकें लेकर खड़े रहते थे. इससे ज्यादा खतरनाक और क्या हो सकता है ? अगर हम पाकिस्तान में खेल सकते हैं तो भारत में क्यों नहीं ?’

टी20 विश्व कप से ठीक पहले आईपीएल 2026 के लिए ऑक्शन में केकेआर की टीम ने बांग्लादेश के मुस्तफिजुर रहमान को 9.20 करोड़ रुपए की बड़ी रकम पर खरीदा. ऑक्शन के कुछ समय बाद बांग्लादेश में राजनीतिक अस्थिरता का दौर शुरू हो गया. इसी बीच हिंदू अल्पसंख्यकों के खिलाफ हिंसा की घटनाओं की खबरों ने भारत में भी तीखी प्रतिक्रियाएं पैदा कर दीं. इस विवाद की आंच क्रिकेट जगत तक पहुंची और आईपीएल में शामिल बांग्लादेशी तेज गेंदबाज मुस्तफिजुर रहमान को लेकर भी बहस तेज हो गई. सोशल मीडिया पर कुछ वर्गों ने बांग्लादेशी खिलाड़ियों पर प्रतिबंध लगाने की मांग उठाई, जिससे मामला लगातार तूल पकड़ने लगा. बढ़ते विवाद और संवेदनशील परिस्थितियों के बीच कोलकाता नाइट राइडर्स ने टूर्नामेंट शुरू होने से पहले मुस्तफिजुर रहमान को अपनी टीम से रिलीज करने का फैसला लिया.

India women’s cricket team all-rounder Shreyanka Patil has been enjoying the company of her pace-bowling teammate Renuka Singh, saying that she’s her favourite as they posed for pictures in the countryside of the United Kingdom recently.

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Shreyanka, 23, who bowls off-spin, Instagrammed a bunch of pictures with Renuka, 30, to her 4.9 million followers and captioned the post: “With my favourite +1!” The duo are part of India’s Women’s T20 World Cup squad.

India captain Shubman Gill hailed his side’s all-round display against Afghanistan as a near-perfect performance, saying the team had “ticked all the boxes” in a dominant victory that showcased both the depth of India’s bowling attack and the direction of a young side in transition.

Leading India in a match that saw his team pile up 564-8 declared before dismissing Afghanistan twice, Gill was particularly pleased with how every department contributed to the result. “I think a complete win from us, ticked all the boxes. So very happy with that,” Gill said.

Gill believes the team’s path forward is straightforward: build a batting group capable of consistently posting big first-innings totals while relying on a bowling attack he believes can win matches anywhere in the world.

“I’d say pretty simple. When you’re batting first innings, try to post 350 on the board every time you get into bat, no matter where we are playing, what kind of conditions it is,” Gill mentioned.

The confidence in India’s bowling resources, he said, provides the foundation for that philosophy. “I think there’s enough trust in our bowling group that we can take 20 wickets anywhere.”

One of the key decisions during the match came after India bowled Afghanistan out for 152. With a massive first-innings lead in hand, India had to decide whether to enforce the follow-on in challenging conditions. “It was very hot. We decided that if we get them before lunch or just after the first drinks, we’ll see if the bowlers are fresh, we’ll give them a follow-on,” Gill said.

Five
No. of times India claimed all 20 wickets in the last six Tests

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Every time medium-pacer Sylvester D’Souza picks up a wicket, he points skywards and also his back to jersey No. 18. No, not to show he is the Virat Kohli of Triumph Knights Mumbai North East (TKMNE) but, “It`s just that the universe is going to take care and I`m here,” in his words.

On Monday, the 27-year-old D’Souza produced the best-ever bowling figures in T20 Mumbai League to shine in Triumph Knights Mumbai North East’s (TKMNE) first win after three defeats. He took 5-21 in 3.5 overs to bowl out defending champions Mumbai South Central Maratha Royals (MSCMR) for 152 at Wankhede.

TKMNE met the target in 16 overs to win by six wickets, courtesy captain Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 72 off 36 balls (13x4, 1x6). In a fine gesture, Suryakumar gave his Player of the Match award to D’Souza.

The right-arm bowler from Palghar said: “Surya is very kind. For the batting show that he put up for us to get that win, the Man of the Match award was supposed to go to him. But he was kind enough to dedicate it to me and I am grateful to him. And, I dedicate the award to my family. My parents have worked hard their whole lives and put in all those efforts for me.”

D’Souza made scoring difficult for the top-order with the new ball. He dismissed MSCMR opener Sahil Jadhav, who flicked straight to deep square-leg Vedant Gurav in the third over. D’Souza returned in the death overs, picking up four wickets to record the fifth five-wicket haul in TML history and the first this year.

In between, the TKMNE spinners Hitesh Kadam, Sagar Mishra and Parikshit Valsangkar bowled tight lines and picked up wickets regularly to leave MSCMR struggling at 78-5 in 10 overs. The sixth wicket duo of Chinmay Sutar (32) and Maxwell Swaminathan (36) shared 64 before the former was retired out.

Chasing 153, TKMNE lost openers Vedant Murkar and Akhil Herwadkar early for rash shots before Suryakumar and Nutan Goel (56 off 42 balls; 4x4, 3x6) made it a comfortable chase, sharing 103 for the third wicket.

Suryakumar’s knock came a shade too late. After falling for 19 and 4 in the first two matches, he scored 48 on the day he was axed as India’s T20 captain two days ago. When almost everything was lost, Suryakumar sent a reminder that he still had it in him, playing his trademark strokes all around the wicket.