Jordan FA President Accuses FIFA of 'Blackmail' Amid Infantino Leadership Crisis

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing renewed pressure after the president of the Jordan Football Association (JFA), Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, accused FIFA of attempting to pressure his organisation into supporting Infantino's re-election.
In a post on X, Prince Ali claimed FIFA had suggested that backing Infantino would help resolve several outstanding issues affecting Jordanian football, including the recovery of money the JFA says it is owed. He described the alleged approach as "blackmail" and insisted Jordan would not change its position.
Prince Ali, who ran against Sepp Blatter in the 2015 FIFA presidential election and against Infantino in 2016, also criticised FIFA over a number of issues linked to this summer's World Cup. These included visa difficulties faced by Jordanian supporters travelling to the United States, high ticket prices, and significant tax costs incurred because Jordan's team was based in the U.S. rather than Canada or Mexico.
He also said the JFA is still waiting to receive prize money from last year's FIFA-organised Arab Cup, despite FIFA's strong financial position.
"It is clear the problem really is with leadership," Prince Ali wrote. "For months, FIFA refused to help us on these matters until it was verbally communicated to me during the World Cup that endorsing Infantino would go a long way toward helping our FA. We pride ourselves on upholding ethical values. We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now."
The allegations come at a time when Infantino is facing increasing opposition from several football governing bodies. Europe, along with countries in North and Central America and the Caribbean, is reportedly moving away from supporting his leadership, while Africa, South America and Oceania are expected to remain largely supportive.
Tensions escalated following FIFA's proposal to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a new company that would oversee the commercial and operational management of FIFA competitions. The proposal included plans to sell a 20 per cent stake to private investors, prompting strong opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation.
Following widespread criticism and threats of a boycott from UEFA, FIFA abandoned the proposal. However, UEFA has said it has lost confidence in Infantino and is considering legal action, while several national associations, including England and Wales, have withdrawn their support for him.
Meanwhile, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has publicly backed Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness as a potential successor to Infantino. Blatter said the time had come for FIFA to be led by a woman, praising Klaveness for consistently taking principled positions on governance issues, including criticism of the 2022 Qatar World Cup and Saudi Arabia's selection as host of the 2034 tournament.
Klaveness has led the Norwegian