Jordan FA President: FIFA pays overdue prize money, but 'serious concerns' over Infantino's leadership remain

Prince Ali bin Al Hussein is the president of the Jordanian Football Association. Francois Nel / Getty Images

By Matt Slater Aug. 4, 2026 | Updated Aug. 6, 2026, 12:02 pm EDT

Former FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali bin Al Hussein says the world’s governing body has belatedly paid Jordan’s staff and players prize money from December’s Arab Cup — but insists it does not change his “serious concerns” with FIFA’s leadership and its president, Gianni Infantino.

On Tuesday, Prince Ali, the president of the Jordanian Football Association (JFA), accused FIFA of trying to “blackmail” his organisation into supporting Infantino’s bid for reelection as FIFA boss in a scathing post on his X feed.

Prince Ali wrote that the JFA had asked FIFA for assistance with three separate issues this year, including being paid outstanding prize money from the Arab Cup in Qatar, but was told he needed to endorse Infantino first.

In a follow-up post on Thursday, Prince Ali thanked FIFA for “suddenly this morning delivering what was owed to our players and coaching staff” but said: “This was funding that should have been received 8 months ago.”

He added:

“While this is a good development for our players, it does not change the serious concerns we in the football world have regarding the FIFA leadership, nor does it change what our FAs have been subjected to in the past.

>

“It is symptomatic of those exact difficulties that we all face, and that are usually linked to the FIFA presidential elections. And it does not change my clear position concerning the leadership of FIFA: my FA and I will not endorse president Infantino, nor will we vote for him.”

Three Issues Raised with FIFA

In his initial post on Tuesday, which increased the mounting pressure on Infantino, Prince Ali said the JFA had asked FIFA for assistance over three separate issues:

1. Visa difficulties for fans — Jordan, who qualified for their first ever World Cup this summer, faced challenges securing visas for their fans, even those who had bought tickets “at exorbitant prices.”

1. U.S. tax liabilities — Jordan’s players and staff are liable for American taxes after their stay in the U.S., which the JFA had not budgeted for and would not have faced if they had been based in co-hosts Canada or Mexico.

1. Unpaid Arab Cup prize money — Prince Ali claimed that Jordan were still owed prize money from December’s FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar, where they went unbeaten to the final before losing 3-2 to Morocco.

“It is clear the problem really is with (the) leadership,” continued Prince Ali, who ran unsuccessfully against Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency in 2015 and then against Infantino and Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa in 2016.

>

“For months, FIFA has been refusing to help us on any of these or other matters until it was verbally communicated to me, during the World Cup, that if I endorsed Infantino it would go a long way to helping our FA out.

>

“We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values. We did not endorse him before and cer—”

Related Coverage

• How FIFA Elections Work — and Infantino’s Challenge
• Full Support for Infantino
• English FA Withdraws Support
• UEFA Threatens Legal Action
• Inside the Controversial Week
• Plans Scrapped

What You Should Read Next: Mattias Grafstrom tells FIFA staff ‘individuals come and go’ in wake of ‘turmoil’ of Gianni Infantino plan. Arsene Wenger has also distanced himself from Infantino’s controversial plan to sell stakes in competitions to private investors.