Somali soccer referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was denied a chance to make his World Cup debut after being barred from entering the United States, thanked FIFA, CAF and the ​Somali people on Tuesday as he prepared to return home, Reuters reported. 

Artan had been expected to become the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup match, but a FIFA spokesperson said he would not be able to train or officiate at the tournament after he was not allowed to enter the United States over ​the weekend.