Jordan's football association has finally received prize money owed for the national team's run to the 2025 Arab Cup final, according to an announcement from Jordan Football Association president Prince Ali bin Hussein, arriving just two days after he accused Fifa of attempting to blackmail him.
The payment, related to Jordan's appearance in the Arab Cup final in Qatar last December, had reportedly been delayed for eight months despite being due shortly after the tournament concluded. Prince Ali confirmed the funds had been transferred to the players and coaching staff who represented Jordan in the competition.
Writing on social media platform X, Prince Ali expressed appreciation for the sudden resolution of the outstanding payment. "Thank you to the Fifa administration for suddenly this morning delivering what was owed to our players and coaching staff, for the Jordan National team's accession to the final of the Fifa Arab Cup in Qatar last December," he wrote. He also noted the significant delay involved, stating: "This was funding that should have been received eight months ago."
The timing of the payment comes amid a broader dispute between Prince Ali and Fifa president Gianni Infantino. Earlier in the week, the Jordanian football chief had made serious allegations against Infantino, claiming that Fifa officials suggested assistance with the kingdom's football-related issues could be offered in exchange for Prince Ali's endorsement of the Fifa president. These claims emerged following Infantino's decision to withdraw from a controversial proposal to sell a stake in World Cup commercial rights.
According to Prince Ali, Fifa had verbally indicated during World Cup proceedings that backing Infantino's leadership "would go a long way to helping our FA out." Fifa has yet to issue a formal response to these specific allegations.
Despite receiving the long-awaited funds, Prince Ali made clear that the payment does not resolve his broader grievances with Fifa's leadership structure. He characterized the delayed payment as part of a pattern of issues that tend to surface around Fifa presidential election periods. "This was symptomatic of those exact difficulties that we all face and that are usually linked to the Fifa presidential elections," he said, before reaffirming his stance on the presidency itself: "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."
The payment and subsequent statements follow a turbulent period for Fifa's governance. The organization recently issued an apology to its member associations over mishandling the now-abandoned plan to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise, a proposal that would have involved selling commercial rights tied to the World Cup. Fifa's leadership had convened for a crisis meeting in Morocco earlier in the week, during which the council reaffirmed its backing of Infantino despite the controversy.
In an official statement issued after that meeting, Fifa acknowledged shortcomings in how the proposal was handled. "We acknowledge mistakes were made in the process of the proposed establishment of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE)," the statement read, adding that member associations should not have felt excluded from deliberations. Fifa also admitted to compounding errors after details of the plan were leaked to media outlets. "We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again," the statement continued, noting that a review would be conducted with findings to be presented at the next Fifa Council meeting.
The episode highlights ongoing tensions within football's governing body as it navigates internal disputes ahead of future presidential elections, with Jordan's case drawing particular attention to concerns about transparency and fairness in Fifa's dealings with member associations.
Based on reporting from The Independent.