Jordan FA president accuses FIFA of blackmail over Infantino support
Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, president of the Jordanian Football Association, alleges FIFA offered to help recover unpaid prize money and resolve tax disputes in exchange for his endorsement of Gianni Infantino's re-election. The accusation joins criticism from England, Wales, and UEFA as Infantino faces pressure over plans to bring private investors into FIFA's tournament operations.
Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, president of the Jordanian Football Association, alleged that FIFA engaged in blackmail by offering to help resolve Jordan's outstanding financial matters in exchange for his endorsement of Gianni Infantino's re-election as FIFA president.
Prince Ali stated that FIFA verbally communicated during the World Cup that if he endorsed Infantino, it would help the Jordanian FA with various pending issues. According to ESPN's reporting, Prince Ali said FIFA had refused to assist Jordan on these matters for months prior to that conversation.
Jordan was awaiting prize money from last year's Arab Cup, which FIFA organizes, and the Jordanian FA faced "huge costs" in taxes stemming from the tournament's location in the United States rather than Canada or Mexico, per Prince Ali's account. He also cited difficulties Jordanian fans encountered seeking entry to the United States for this summer's World Cup and what he characterized as "exorbitant" ticket prices.
Despite the alleged pressure, Prince Ali stated that Jordan "certainly" would not endorse Infantino. He characterized the situation as "blackmail" and said Jordan refuses to "give in to that."
Prince Ali, who previously ran for FIFA president in 2015 against Sepp Blatter and later opposed Infantino, now joins England, Wales, and UEFA in publicly resisting Infantino's bid for re-election. According to ESPN's reporting, Infantino is under mounting pressure following his plan to seek private investors in a company to run FIFA's tournaments, including the men's and women's World Cups. The support of Asian national associations is seen as critical to his political survival, while Europe and North America are expected to oppose him, with Africa, South America, and Oceania anticipated to provide backing.
FIFA declined to respond to Prince Ali's allegations, offering no counter-statement or denial regarding his account of the communications or the status of Jordan's outstanding financial matters.
Prince Ali stated FIFA verbally communicated during the World Cup that endorsing Infantino would help Jordan with outstanding financial matters, after months of refusing assistance.
The accusation exposes the leverage FIFA allegedly deployed during a moment of acute political vulnerability for Infantino. Watch whether other federation leaders corroborate similar pressure tactics and whether Infantino's camp issues a formal denial; either development would substantially sharpen the picture of whether this represents isolated complaint or systematic coercion.
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Sources
Single-source report. As published, only ESPN had reported this development. No independent outlet had corroborated it.
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