A historic milestone in global soccer officiating has fallen through at the last minute, after Omar Artan — the Somali referee set to make history as the first official from his country to work at a men’s World Cup finals — was removed from the tournament’s official roster of match officials. The sudden shakeup comes directly after U.S. border authorities denied Artan entry into the country, derailing his preparations for the high-profile global competition. The development was first reported 59 minutes ago under Africa Sport coverage, leaving the international soccer community surprised by the unforeseen barrier that blocked Artan’s once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. No further details on the specific reason for the entry denial or whether a replacement referee has been named have been released as of the latest update.