Prince Ali bin Hussein has accused FIFA and President Gianni Infantino of trying to blackmail the Jordan Football Association during the World Cup.
The head of the Jordanian football governing body stated on social media platform X that FIFA has withheld 4.2 million dollars in prize money owed to Jordan for finishing second in the Arab Cup in Qatar after a 3-2 extra-time loss to Morocco in December.
Prince Ali said FIFA refused to provide financial assistance for months until officials verbally told him during the North American World Cup that supporting Infantino would significantly ease the situation for Jordan. He stated that Jordan prides itself on upholding ethical values, did not support Infantino previously, and will not yield to blackmail pressure now.
Jordan made its World Cup debut at the tournament but was eliminated after losing all three group matches, falling 3-1 to Austria, 2-1 to Algeria, and 3-1 to Argentina.
History in FIFA Leadership
Prince Ali previously served on the FIFA Executive Committee from 2011 to 2015. He challenged Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency in May 2015, losing the vote 133 to 73 before Blatter resigned nine days later following serious corruption allegations. Prince Ali also finished third in the 2016 election in which Infantino was elected president.
Crisis Meeting in Rabat
Infantino called an emergency FIFA board meeting for Wednesday, August 5 in Rabat, Morocco. The meeting was called primarily over controversy regarding an attempt to force the sale of World Cup hosting rights to private entities, though the allegations raised by Prince Ali are expected to be discussed as well.
