A youth soccer organization in Seattle has given back 20 complimentary World Cup tickets after the United States prevented a Somali referee from entering the country for the tournament.
Ali Abdulla, who runs the African Youth Sports Academy, was thrilled when his organization was selected to receive the free passes to next month’s World Cup round of 16 match in Seattle. The tickets, worth approximately $1,000 each, would have provided an amazing experience for children from immigrant and low-income households who participate in his program.
However, when the U.S. blocked Omar Artan — the first referee from Somalia chosen to work World Cup games — from coming into the country, Abdulla decided to take action. The former semi-professional soccer player and Somali refugee initially considered stepping down from his volunteer role as a FIFA “ambassador,” but parents and coaches in his program proposed an even stronger statement: returning the tickets.
“They all sent a message saying, ‘We feel heartbroken, we feel betrayed,’” Abdulla shared with The Associated Press on Friday. “We don’t feel right to go celebrate while the only person in the history of our country (selected to referee the World Cup) is feeling pain and disappointed.”
Abdulla continued: “I felt so emotional when the parents said that, because to return a one-time opportunity for solidarity with our boy — that made me very proud to lead this organization.”
The complimentary tickets came from a distribution program coordinated by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and the local FIFA World Cup organizing committee, which gave away 1,400 tickets total. Abdulla had participated in announcing the program and brought approximately two dozen children to appear in the mayor’s promotional video.
Receiving the tickets was “the best news I ever had,” according to Abdulla. His organization, which provides mentoring and additional services beyond soccer, planned to hold a competition to decide which participants would get the tickets. The goal was to give tickets to roughly a dozen teenagers between 13 and 16 years old, plus several parents.
The young people “are very sad, man, very heartbroken,” Abdulla explained. “We have to teach them to stand up for the right thing.”
The mayor’s office verified that the tickets were redistributed but declined further comment about the organization’s choice. Hana Tadesse, speaking for the local FIFA World Cup organizing committee, confirmed the tickets went to another community organization: the Somali Health Board, which also supports youth soccer programs. That group did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.
The Seattle Times first covered the African Youth Sports Academy’s decision.
Abdulla works as a transit security officer for Seattle’s light rail system and previously played for the semi-professional Seattle Somali Stars until retiring in 2017. He had planned to volunteer as a World Cup ambassador, greeting fans and assisting with stadium directions. Now he says he won’t even watch the matches on television.
Instead, he’s concentrating on a different upcoming tournament that he previously participated in as a player and coach and now coordinates: the 28th annual Somali Week. This event will bring teams from Canada, the United Kingdom, Minneapolis and other locations to Kent, a Seattle suburb, in August.
The tournament attracts players with African heritage and others, Abdulla noted, and demonstrates soccer’s ability to bring the community together.
