Published June 09, 2026
Former Three Lions and Arsenal striker has taken a dig at the FIFA World Cup with just 2 days into the biggest extravaganza of world sports.
Wright called the tournament a ‘World Cup of chaos,’ after reports surfaced of a Somali referee was denied entry into U.S.
Omar Artan was set to become the first from Somalia to represent at the FIFA World Cup.
After entry ban, the football world governing body, FIFA, confirmed he will now be stripped from its roster.
Amid all this chaos and social media buzz, Wright took to his Instagram and shared a video post.
“I’ve just read that Somalian referee has been denied entry. Every few hours it’s another story, another story about fans denied, players denied, officials denied, journalists denied, now refs,” Wright said.
“The expensive tickets, the most expensive tickets ever, expensive accommodation, transport through the roof. It has to be said,” Wright continued while complaining about the reports of mismanagement in the build-up to the tournament.
The furious Wright went on to lash out at the FIFA, saying, “Is this how the hosts behave really for the greatest game, the greatest tournament in the world, is this how the hosts behave?”
“You know who I feel for? I feel for the American fans who are desperate for this, how embarrassed they must be. How embarrassing for them this must be.”
“This is the World Cup, this is a World Cup of chaos. Whoever wins this World Cup is going to have to go through some serious chaos to get this done,” Wright concluded.
Omar Artan was selected as one of the 52 panels of referees for the World Cup that begins on June 11.