Jordan will not support Gianni Infantino despite overdue Arab Cup payment, says Prince Ali

Prince Ali bin Al Hussein says Jordan will not support FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the next election, despite FIFA finally paying the money owed to the Jordan national team after its run to last year’s Arab Cup final in Qatar.

The president of the Jordan Football Association said the outstanding funds were received on Thursday, but insisted the payment had not changed his position on the leadership of world football’s governing body.

Prince Ali had previously criticised FIFA and Infantino over the delay, saying Jordan had not received the money due to the national team after it reached the Arab Cup final in December.

He had described the situation as reaching the level of “blackmail” and said he would not submit to it. In a new statement, Prince Ali confirmed that the Arab Cup payments had now been released, while making clear that Jordan still had serious concerns about FIFA’s administration.

“FIFA paid the outstanding dues this morning, despite the fact that they had been due for eight months,” the statement said.

“We thank the FIFA administration for delivering the dues to our players and technical staff, despite the delay.”

The statement added: “This is a positive development for the players, but it does not change the significant concerns within the football community about FIFA’s leadership.”

Prince Ali also said: “What happened reflects the problems we face, which are often linked to periods of elections for the FIFA presidency.”

He concluded: “My position is clear: we will not support Gianni Infantino, and we will not vote for him in the next election.”

The remarks come as debate continues over the way FIFA is being run, with the next electoral commitments approaching. The Jordan Football Association’s latest statement separates the receipt of the delayed payment from its view of Infantino’s leadership, indicating that the financial issue has been resolved without altering the country’s political position.

Jordan reached the Arab Cup final in Qatar last year, an achievement that led to the disputed payment being owed to the players and coaching staff. The association said the funds were eventually delivered on Thursday morning, eight months after they were due.

The statement did not change Prince Ali’s earlier criticism of FIFA. Instead, it repeated Jordan’s intention not to back Infantino when the next FIFA presidential election takes place.

Jordan have also appeared at the World Cup for the first time. Their campaign ended in the group stage after defeats by Algeria, Austria and Argentina.