Trump World Cup task force head Andrew Giuliani: Somali referee ‘was talking to some very bad people’

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President Trump’s World Cup czar, Andrew Giuliani, on Sunday claimed that a Somali referee —who was denied entry into the U.S. for the FIFA World Cup — “was talking to some very bad people.”

“There’s some classified information we can’t discuss now,” Guiliani told CBS News in an interview. “At some point, that may be released.”

Giuliani told the outlet that he could not dive further into who referee Omar Artan was allegedly in contact with, only that it happened “immediately before” he attempted to enter the U.S.

Artan was expected to officiate the World Cup and was issued a travel visa earlier this month. U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated last week that there were “vetting concerns” preventing him from entering the U.S.

The Hill has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment about Giuliani’s remarks.

FIFA stated that it played no role in Artan being denied entry, sharing a statement on his behalf that he was in “a positive mood” and “focused on the next challenges” in his refereeing career.

Artan returned to a hero’s welcome in Somalia, with cheering fans and supporters at Mogadishu’s airport. He vowed that he would attend the next World Cup and that he wanted Somalia’s people “to take comfort in this and remain confident.”

Giuliani also told the outlet that the U.S. was extending a “goodwill gesture” to the Iranian team to enter the U.S. to play in the World Cup. He spoke with Politico hours before the U.S. reached a preliminary deal with Iran on Sunday.

“We want them to be able to compete,” Giuliani said. “Even just coming in the day before the match, I think, is another example of the goodwill gesture to the team.”

Giuliani added that the arrangements set up for the team after they enter the U.S. to play “should not affect the integrity of the team.” The team has stayed in Tijuana, Mexico, across the border from San Diego, Calif., after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum permitted the team to stay after security concerns prompted them to abandon plans to stay in Tucson, Ariz.

The Iranian team will face off against New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., just south of Los Angeles, at 6 p.m. PDT on Monday.

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Andrew Giuliani

Claudia Sheinbaum

Donald Trump

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