Jordan Football Association (JFA) President Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein has publicly criticized FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the world football governing body’s leadership, alleging a series of administrative, financial, and ethical failures affecting the Jordanian Football Association.
In a strongly worded statement, Prince Ali said Jordan faced significant challenges during its participation in its first FIFA World Cup, describing the experience as particularly difficult for a football association operating with limited financial resources.
Among the concerns raised was the issue of travel for Jordanian supporters to the United States. According to Prince Ali, some fans who had purchased World Cup tickets were denied U.S. visas, preventing them from attending the tournament. He also claimed that ticket prices were excessively high.
The JFA president further alleged that Jordan incurred substantial tax liabilities in the United States through its FIFA World Cup participation. He argued that the taxes reduced funds that would otherwise have gone to players and staff, contrasting Jordan’s situation with teams that established their tournament bases in Canada or Mexico, where he said such costs did not apply.
Prince Ali also criticized FIFA over what he described as delays in distributing prize money from the FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar. He claimed Jordan’s players have yet to receive financial rewards for reaching the tournament final, despite the payment allegedly being due since December. He contrasted the delay with FIFA’s reported financial reserves, questioning the organization’s priorities.
Perhaps the most serious allegation concerned FIFA’s leadership. Prince Ali claimed that FIFA had declined to assist Jordan on several issues until he was allegedly told during the World Cup that endorsing Gianni Infantino would significantly improve the governing body’s willingness to support the Jordan Football Association.
“We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values,” Prince Ali said. “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.”
The allegations have not been independently verified, and FIFA had not publicly responded to Prince Ali’s claims at the time of writing.
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