Fifa president Gianni Infantino has been accused of "blackmail" by Jordan FA president Prince Ali bin Hussein. The accusation comes after Infantino was compelled to abandon his plans to sell stakes in the World Cup and other Fifa tournaments to private investors, following a public outcry last week.
European football's governing body Uefa had confirmed a boycott of the World Cup and other Fifa competitions if Infantino's plan was voted through. This stance was supported by the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, which represents 41 nations from North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Prince Ali, who lost to Infantino in the 2016 presidential election, stated that the Jordan FA will withdraw its support for Infantino's re-election next year. He posted on X, "We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values. 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."
Prince Ali also detailed several issues faced by the Jordan FA, including difficulties for fans obtaining US visas for the World Cup, exorbitant ticket prices, and taxes imposed by the US government through Fifa for participation. He also mentioned that reward money for the Jordan team's participation in the Arab Cup in Qatar, a Fifa event, has not been delivered since December.
He further claimed that during the World Cup, it was verbally communicated to him that endorsing Infantino would "go a long way to helping our FA out."