Prince Ali bin Hussein, the president of the Jordan Football Association, has publicly accused FIFA President Gianni Infantino of engaging in "blackmail." The allegations follow the collapse of Infantino’s controversial proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to private investors, a plan that was abandoned last week following widespread public backlash.
The proposal faced significant opposition, with European governing body UEFA threatening a boycott of the World Cup and other FIFA competitions if the plan proceeded. This stance was subsequently supported by the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, representing 41 nations across North and Central America and the Caribbean. As the fallout continues, the Jordanian FA has confirmed it will not support Infantino’s re-election bid next year.
Prince Ali, who previously challenged Infantino in the 2016 presidential election, took to social media to voice his frustrations. He stated that while Jordan prides itself on ethical values, the current situation created by FIFA leadership amounts to blackmail. According to the Prince, FIFA has been unresponsive to various administrative issues for months. He alleged that during the World Cup, it was verbally communicated to him that endorsing Infantino would help resolve outstanding concerns for the Jordanian FA.
Among the grievances cited by Prince Ali are significant tax costs incurred while participating in the United States, as well as delays in receiving reward money for the national team’s performance in the Arab Cup in Qatar, which concluded in December. He noted that while FIFA touts billions in reserves, prize money for reaching the final has yet to be delivered to his team. FIFA has acknowledged the comments made by Prince Ali but has so far declined to issue a formal response. Infantino has not spoken publicly since his proposals were withdrawn last Saturday.
In other football news, the Leagues Cup features a preview of the match between Inter Miami and Atlético de San Luis. Additionally, USMNT’s Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly energized by the connection and culture as the next World Cup cycle beckons. Analysts are also predicting which clubs the summer's biggest free agents will sign for. Meanwhile, the Premier League has issued a statement regarding why Tottenham's James Maddison was not awarded a penalty against Leeds.
“This was not the case for those who played and set up camp in Canada and Mexico. But we happened to be in the USA, so now we face these huge costs in taxes for having participated.
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