Published On 9/6/2026
Former England and Arsenal star, Ian Wright, on Tuesday, attacked the American organization of the 2026 World Cup, describing it as a “World Cup of chaos.”
Wright’s statement comes after Somali referee Omar Artan, who was scheduled to officiate the World Cup matches, was banned from entering the United States, which is hosting the tournament along with Mexico and Canada.
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Omar Artan was scheduled to become the first referee from Somalia to officiate a World Cup match, as he was chosen from a list of 52 referees to manage the tournament matches, which begin the day after tomorrow, Thursday.
But after he was banned from entering the United States, FIFA confirmed that he would be excluded from its list.
In a video clip he posted on social media, Wright highlighted other incidents that occurred during the period leading up to the start of the tournament this summer in the United States, Canada and Mexico, describing it as a “World Cup of chaos.”
“I just read the news that the Somali referee was banned from entering,” Wright said. “Every few hours a new story comes out, another story about fans, players, officials, journalists, and now referees being banned.”
The English star questioned the double standards in the media, comparing the current “suspicious silence” to the fierce media attack that Qatar was subjected to during its hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
He denounced: “Where does this compare to the fierce attack and defamation that Qatar was subjected to previously? Is this really the spirit of football?”
He considered that the team that wins the title will first have to pass through “total and severe chaos.”
Wright concluded his speech by expressing his sympathy for the American masses, whose position he described as “extremely embarrassing” due to the actions of their country’s authorities.
Ian Wright is considered one of the legends of English football and the Arsenal club, as he led a golden career in the nineties, and became the all-time top scorer for Arsenal – before Thierry Henry later broke this record – and achieved the English Premier League and FA Cup titles, and participated in 213 Premier League matches, in which he scored 113 goals.
