Jordanian Football Federation President Prince Ali recently issued a strongly worded statement, publicly accusing FIFA President Gianni Infantino of pressuring the Jordanian Football Federation, and even calling the actions "equivalent to extortion."
Prince Ali stated that the Jordanian Football Federation encountered numerous difficulties in preparing for and participating in the World Cup, but FIFA failed to provide assistance until someone hinted to him that the problems might be resolved if Jordan supported Infantino's re-election campaign.
This statement further exacerbates the pressure currently facing Infantino. Previously, Infantino's "FIFA Forward Evolution" (FFE) plan, which involved allowing private equity investment in FIFA events, including World Cup-related projects, was forced to a halt due to widespread criticism.
Due to strong opposition and even calls to boycott the event, Infantino has temporarily abandoned the plan. Furthermore, the English Football Association and the Welsh Football Association have withdrawn their support for his re-election campaign, and UEFA had previously called for a comprehensive reassessment of its support for Infantino.
Prince Ali stated on social media that FIFA currently faces numerous problems, and listed the difficulties encountered by the Jordanian Football Association in its first participation in the World Cup.
He said: "FIFA has too many problems. Let's start with the Jordanian Football Federation, especially since this is our first time participating in the World Cup. We are a small country with a limited budget for the Football Federation, yet we face enormous challenges."
Prince Ali pointed out that, firstly, Jordanian fans' journey to the United States to watch the World Cup did not go smoothly.
"Many fans had match tickets but ultimately did not receive visas. At the same time, we are also aware that World Cup ticket prices are unacceptably high."
Secondly, he criticized the tax issues arising from the Jordanian team's participation in the competition.
“FIFA is taxing us through the US government just because we participated in the tournament. These funds should have been used for players and staff. The teams from Canada and Mexico didn’t face a similar situation, but because we played in the US, they now have to pay huge taxes.”
In addition, Prince Ali also mentioned that the Jordanian team has not yet received the bonuses it deserves after finishing as runners-up in the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup.
"Since last December, we've been waiting for the players' bonuses from the Arab Cup. This is also a FIFA event." The bonuses that teams should receive for reaching the final have still not been paid. Meanwhile, FIFA keeps emphasizing that it has billions of dollars in reserves.
Prince Ali believes the root of the problem lies with FIFA's leadership.
"For months, FIFA refused to help us on these and other issues until during the World Cup, when someone verbally told me that supporting Infantino would greatly help our football association. Jordan has always prided itself on upholding moral values. We have not supported Infantino in the past, and we will not support him now. But the whole situation is tantamount to blackmail, and we refuse to give in."
