The president of Jordan's football federation has accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of blackmail, in a social media post detailing unresolved disputes between the federation and football's governing body.
The accusation comes as Infantino faces mounting pressure over a plan to sell part of the World Cup's shares to private investors, with UEFA calling for his immediate resignation and international media sharply criticising him.
Visa and ticket problems
The Jordan FA president said the federation is a small country with limited financial resources that had to overcome enormous obstacles for its first-ever World Cup appearance. He said many Jordanian fans did not receive visas to enter the United States despite having already bought tickets, which he said were sold at exorbitant prices.
Tax and prize money disputes
He said the US government, through the framework applied to FIFA, imposed taxation on Jordan's participation in the tournament, money he said should have gone to the players and technical staff. He said teams based in Canada or Mexico did not face the same taxation, while Jordan faced a large tax cost simply for taking part.
He also said Jordan has been waiting since last December for prize money owed to its players from the Arab Cup in Qatar, a FIFA competition, for reaching the final, even as FIFA advertises the billions it holds in reserves.
Alleged pressure over public support
The federation president said FIFA had refused for months to help resolve these issues, and that during the World Cup he was told verbally that publicly declaring his support for Infantino would significantly help address the federation's problems. He said Jordan takes pride in defending principles of ethics and integrity, had not supported Infantino in the past and would not do so now, calling the situation blackmail and refusing to submit to such practices.
