When thousands of fans came to Seattle Stadium to watch Belgium play Egypt on Monday, Ali Abdulla was working as a Sound Transit security officer nearby, helping to manage the crowds of people getting on the light rail.
Along with his day job, Abdulla is the founder of African Youth Sports Academy, a nonprofit based in SeaTac that runs a soccer league and mentors children of African descent in the region.
But the festive atmosphere, soccer jerseys and smiles on fans' faces did not reflect how Abdulla felt. The United States last week denied entry to top Somali referee Omar Artan.
In response, Abdulla's nonprofit returned 20 free tickets it had received from a local initiative to send children to the July 6 World Cup match in Seattle.
"I was hurt. I was crying inside. I was really in pain," he said.
Tickets for that game are going for more than $2,000. The City of Seattle partnered with the local organizing committee for the World Cup and other organizations to distribute 1,400 free tickets to children in the region. No tax pay dollars were spent on the initiative.
Abdulla said he does not regret the decision.
"I'm happy that we still got to fight for our man," he said. "I wish nothing but the best for everybody involved in FIFA. I wish them nothing but a successful tournament for everybody, but we're OK with the decision that we made."
Artan would have been the first person of Somali heritage to officiate World Cup games. But U.S. officials alleged that he had associated with "bad actors" and "suspected members of terror organizations," despite his having the necessary paperwork for entry, according to reporting from NPR.
An official with FIFA recently told the Associated Press that Artan would receive the full fee for the six-week long tournament. Upon arriving back in Somalia, Artan was received by government officials and fans celebrating him in a packed soccer stadium.
Somalia's soccer team has never played in the World Cup. But Abdulla said Artan's presence on the global stage would have been like seeing the country's team compete. Artan was recently named the best male referee of 2025 for the Confederation of African Football.
"To us, it was like a Somali soccer team made it to the World Cup — it was just like that to us," he said. "We were just trying to send him a message to show him that we love him. To show him that we admire him, that we're willing to sacrifice one-life opportunity for him."
Abdulla said the children who would have received the free tickets were "really heartbroken" but understood what the sacrifice meant.
"They decided, you know, 'We're not going to sacrifice ourselves, you know? We're going to be supporting our man,'" he said.
For his part, Abdulla isn't mad at those involved in the local initiative; he said he was grateful that they selected his organization to receive the some of the free tickets.
"I'm just happy that we made some noise. The whole world is stand up for Omar Artan. The whole nation speak up for him," he said.
Through his protest, Abdulla hopes to send a message of support to Artan.
"We've seen you from day one until now. You're not alone," he said. "The whole world is with you. Keep going. Keep inspiring the youth. Keep inspiring, you know, the African continent. Keep inspiring the African youth."
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