FIFA crisis: Top official accuses Infantino of blackmail

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is now facing accusations of blackmail, leveled by Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, the president of the Jordanian Football Association. Al-Hussein alleges that FIFA has withheld funds from his association in recent months.

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Until I was told verbally during the World Cup that it would greatly help our football association if I supported Infantino.

On the platform X, formerly Twitter, al-Hussein stated, "Until I was told verbally during the World Cup that it would greatly help our football association if I supported Infantino." He firmly declared, "We have not supported him so far and certainly will not do so now," adding that the entire situation amounts to blackmail, which they refuse to accept.

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We have not supported him so far and certainly will not do so now.

These allegations surface as Infantino faces criticism for his plan to sell World Cup broadcasting rights to investors for billions. This proposal met widespread resistance, with the European football confederation UEFA even threatening a boycott of FIFA competitions. FIFA quickly withdrew the plans, but criticism of Infantino persists, with some experts questioning if his tenure at the FIFA helm is nearing its end.

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But the entire situation amounts to blackmail, and we refuse to allow that.

Prince Al-Hussein was a rival candidate against Infantino for the FIFA presidency in 2016, though he had little chance of winning. He previously served as a FIFA vice president on the powerful executive committee from 2011 to 2015. Al-Hussein also highlighted that Jordan is still owed prize money from the FIFA Arab Cup in December 2025, reportedly $4.2 million, despite FIFA publicly stating its substantial financial reserves.

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The money that our team should have received for reaching the final has not yet been paid out, even though FIFA simultaneously boasts about how many billions it has in reserve.