How much money Omar Artan will receive for the 2026 World Cup, despite being banned from entering the USA, Canada and Mexico, has been worked out, with the Somali referee still set for a windfall. Stories involving denied visa entry have become a hot topic at this summer’s tournament, but none have attracted as much attention as that of the 34-year-old.

Upon arriving in the USA ahead of the World Cup, Artan was stopped by border control for several hours. Initial reports suggested the issue stemmed from problems with his ESTA application and visa paperwork, but the US government later revealed the real reason he was denied entry was due to alleged ties to a terrorist organisation.

He was subsequently sent back to his home country and, although there were attempts to allow him to officiate matches in the other two host nations, he was removed from the refereeing list for the entire tournament. Fortunately for Artan, a new FIFA ruling means he is still set to receive a significant financial payout despite missing the competition.

FIFA Make Major Decision on Omar Artan’s World Cup Payout

FIFA President Gianni Infantino via REUTERS/Henry Romero

According to BBC Sport, even though Artan will take no part in the World Cup, FIFA has committed to paying his salary. The 2025 Confederation of African Football (CAF) men’s referee of the year has since been invited to officiate the UEFA Super Cup between Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria on 12 August.

The 34-year-old, who thanked “my people and my country” after being welcomed in his homeland, has vowed to officiate at the 2030 World Cup. Artan had a year to remember in 2025, becoming the first Somali to take charge of a continental final. In June 2025, he officiated the second leg of Pyramids FC’s African Champions League final victory over Mamelodi Sundowns.

FIFA appointed Artan to the U-20 World Cup in Chile, where he took charge of three matches including the third-place play-off. Then, at the end of the year, he refereed two group games at the Africa Cup of Nations, having also officiated at the tournament in 2024.

How Much He Will Earn Has Been Calculated

According to The Times, World Cup referees will each earn a record-breaking $100,000 (around £75,000) for their involvement in the tournament, a figure that represents roughly double what officials were paid at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

It’s an uplift that reflects both the expanded 48-team format, the increased scrutiny that comes with it, and FIFA’s determination to attract the very best officials football has to offer. Those record-breaking fees are before performance-related bonuses can be achieved later in the tournament, which Artan will be unable to receive.

Given that he will have been assigned only group matches before FIFA make a decision on knockout assignees, it means the Somali whistle-holder is still set for a five-figure windfall to soften the blow of all his troubles somewhat.

All eyes were on the wrong Fury last night as John Fury was seen raging after his son Tommy Fury‘s fight.

It was a night at the AO Arena that should have been filled with joy for the Fury clan after Tommy won by a majority decision against the former World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, but it didn’t take long for chaos to ensue after the fight with John taking the starring role.

The actual fight was a lot less eventful with the judges scoring 57-57, 59-56, 58-56 in Tommy’s favour. It was the 27-year-old’s technical prowess that gave him the overall advantage, with Hall starting strong but ultimately not looking as comfortable in the ring as Fury did.

Following the decision, 61-year-old John was seen ranting and raving at the side of the ring trying to get at Chase DeMoor, who had made at jab at one of John’s other sons, Roman Fury, just moments before.

John Fury Causes Chaos at Ringside After Tommy Fury vs Eddie Hall

Footage has now emerged of security holding John back from DeMoor at ringside. Ironically, Tommy, looked largely unbothered by his dad’s antics when he could be seen in the background as John was being held back by five security guards as he made advances towards DeMoor.

If anything, John became ever more unhinged as he made his way backstage. Ranting and raving with his shirt off, he shouted:

“I don’t give a f***” and “Who wants a f****** go?”

He then proceeded to show off his own boxing ability by punching a wall. John kept calling out Carl Froch, who he has had issues with in the past, despite the former super middleweight world champion being nowhere to be seen.

“Where are you, Carl ‘The Worm’ Froch,” he bellowed.

John Fury Punches A Wall Backstage After Tommy Fury Fight

John has reportedly demanded £2.5 million pounds to fight Froch on a Misfits Boxing card. Misfits has made no secret that it promotes entertainment and drama alongside the fights themselves and Froch vs Fury Sr would likely be the biggest fight in the promotion’s history.

This isn’t the first and won’t be the last time the father takes the spotlight away from his son’s achievements, with this now becoming quite a recurring feature of the Fury family.

At a press conference for his son Tyson Fury’s clash with Arslanbek Makhmudov earlier this year, Fury stole the show by calling out Froch while he was live on Netflix.

It remains to be seen if John will actually get the big payday he craves, but he is sure to continue playing up to the cameras until he gets an opportunity to cash in.

UFC fans in the UK now know exactly when they will need to tune in for one of the most significant events the promotion has ever staged.

For the first time in history, the UFC will host an event on the grounds of the White House, with UFC Freedom 250 set to take place on the South Lawn of the Washington DC property. The event has been organised to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the USA, together with the 80th birthday of president Donald Trump.

The historic card has attracted huge interest from fight fans globally, as several of the biggest names in the promotion will be featured, with two UFC championships on the line.

UFC White House Card Explored

In the main event of the evening, Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje will face off for the undisputed UFC Lightweight Championship. Before that clash, Alex Pereira will seek to win UFC gold in a third weight class as he takes on Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship.

A stacked card also sees fan favourites such as Sean O’Malley, Michael Chandler, and Derrick Lewis in action, making UFC Freedom 250 one of the deepest lineups assembled in recent memory.

The card is unique in that there are no preliminary fights, with all seven fights on the bill being part of a bumper main card. Given the unprecedented setting in which the fight will take place, many fans will want to take in every second of the action.

Exact UK Start Time For UFC Freedom 250

As anticipation continues to build, the exact start time for British viewers has now been revealed. Notably, UFC Freedom 250 will not be a pay-per-view show, meaning that it will be shown as part of the standard TNT Sports subscription.

The event will air on TNT Sports 1 in the UK, with a start time of 1am BST on Monday morning. Fans will be in for a late night if they want to watch the action live.

If there was ever a card to miss sleep for, it’s arguably UFC Freedom 250. However, for those among you who want to grab a few extra hours in bed, the expected start times of the two championship fights have also been confirmed.

Exact UK Start Times For Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje and Alex Pereira vs Cyril Gane

The co-main event between Pereira and Gane will be a five-round affair, although most predict that it will end inside the 25-minute distance. The two fighters are expected to make their way to the Octagon at 3:30am UK time, with the action set to get underway shortly afterwards.

Once the interim heavyweight title fight is decided, all eyes will then be on Topuria and Gaethje as they battle it out to determine the best 155-pound fighter in the world. That bout is scheduled to go down no earlier than 4:45am UK time.

The above timings assume that the outdoor event isn’t disrupted by bad weather, which is something that the UFC have been planning for.

Whether you’re pulling an all-nighter to catch the whole card or just getting up for the championship bouts, UFC Freedom 250 is a night that will live long in the memory.