The referee who was banned from entering the US was given a warm welcome by a number of supporters and officials in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Referee Omar Artan returned to his post on Wednesday. He stressed that he plans to be at the next World Cup, while urging the youth of Somalia to be proud of their country.
Artan was supposed to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate a World Cup match. He is considered one of the best referees in Africa, but he was not allowed to enter the United States. FIFA has since removed him from the list of World Cup referees.
The AP wrote that Artani was given a hero's welcome in Mogadishu.
"I promise you, God willing, I will be at the next World Cup," Artan told hundreds of supporters, who waved Somali flags at the airport.
also
"Links to terrorist organizations" - the reason the referee was not allowed into the US
The US decision to ban a FIFA-appointed referee from entering the country has caused a stir. Somalia is one of 40 countries with travel restrictions to the US.
"We all have an obligation to preserve the name of Somalia. Somalia belongs to us, whether it is a good or bad country. That flag is ours and that passport is ours," said Artan.
