The man at the centre of a growing international football row has touched down in Mogadishu. Banned referee Ali Artan insists his visa is valid. Fifa says it revoked it. The stand-off is deepening.
Artan, a Somali-born official barred from officiating by his own federation, landed at Aden Adde International Airport this morning. He flashed his documents to waiting media. 'My visa is legal,' he said. 'Fifa has no right to cancel it.'
But behind the scenes, sources tell me the situation is far messier. The Somali Football Federation, backed by Fifa, claims Artan's accreditation was pulled days ago. They accuse him of 'deliberately misleading authorities.' Artan's lawyer counters: 'No formal notice was served. This is a power play.'
Here's the nub. Artan was banned after a disputed match in Hargeisa. He took his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Cas ruled in his favour provisionally. But Fifa has not recognised that ruling. The federation sees Artan as a renegade. Artan sees himself as a whistleblower.
Now the politics gets murky. Artan is a member of the minority Gadabuursi clan. The federation is dominated by the Darod clan. This is Mogadishu. Clan loyalty trumps everything. insiders whisper that Artan's real crime was not the match but challenging the old guard.
'He embarrassed them,' a former federation official told me. 'They can't have a referee overturning their authority. So they use Fifa to crush him.'
Fifa, meanwhile, is caught in its own crisis. The world governing body is already under fire for corruption and bias. A row over a Somali referee risks becoming a diplomatic incident. African federations are watching closely. If Artan wins this battle, others may follow.
The immediate flashpoint is the visa. Artan claims it was issued by the Somali government directly. Fifa insists it was vetted through normal channels. Who is telling the truth? That is the question no one wants to answer publicly.
I have spoken to a senior government source. He says the visa stands. 'We do not take orders from Zurich on who enters our country.' That is a direct challenge to Fifa's authority.
Expect fireworks. Artan will attempt to attend the upcoming league match in Mogadishu. The federation will likely try to block him. The police will be called. This is a tinderbox.
For now, the man himself is calm. He sat in the airport lounge, sipping tea, surrounded by supporters. 'I am home,' he said. 'No one can take that away.'
But in the corridors of power, the game is only just beginning.
