Jordan football association president Prince Ali Al Hussein has accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of blackmail, claiming he was told during the World Cup that Jordan would benefit if he endorsed Infantino. The accusation comes amid widespread criticism of Infantino's leadership, including a scrapped plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
Allegations of Blackmail
In a post on X, Prince Ali detailed several grievances against FIFA, including unpaid prize money for Jordan's team and excessive taxes. He stated that FIFA had refused to help with these issues until it was verbally communicated to him during the World Cup that endorsing Infantino would go a long way to helping their FA.
Prince Ali wrote: "We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values. We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now. But the whole situation amounts to blackmail and we refuse to give in to that."
Jordan's World Cup Challenges
Prince Ali highlighted multiple hurdles faced by Jordan, a small country with a minimal FA budget, during their first World Cup appearance. These included fans being denied visas despite having tickets, which were sold at exorbitant prices, and the team being taxed by the US government through FIFA for participation, unlike teams in Canada and Mexico.
Additionally, Jordan has been waiting since December for reward money for players from the Arab Cup in Qatar, a FIFA event, where they reached the final. Prince Ali noted: "The money our team should receive for having reached the final has not been delivered yet, while at the same time FIFA brags about how many billions they have in reserve."
Fallout from FIFA's Scrapped Plan
Infantino recently reversed his controversial plan for the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) after severe backlash. Several governing bodies, including UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation, spoke out against the proposal, with UEFA threatening legal action.
The pressure on Infantino has been mounting, with FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom reportedly blasting him in a leaked email. Arsene Wenger also issued a public statement outlining his role within FIFA, seemingly to distance himself from Infantino.
