FIFA releases Jordan’s Arab Cup funds as Prince Ali renews opposition to Infantino

FIFA has transferred the financial payments owed to Jordan’s national team for their participation in the 2025 Arab Cup, eight months after the funds were expected to be paid.

Jordan finished runners-up at the tournament in Qatar after losing the final to Morocco. The delayed money relates to the team’s run to the final and includes payments intended for the players and coaching staff.

Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, president of the Jordan Football Association, confirmed the transfer in a post on X on Thursday.

“I would like to thank the FIFA administration for transferring this morning, unexpectedly, the financial payments due to our players and technical staff for the Jordan national team’s qualification for the Arab Cup final in Qatar last December,” he said.

Prince Ali said the payments had been expected much earlier, but warned that the transfer did not resolve his wider concerns about FIFA’s leadership or the treatment of national associations.

“These payments were supposed to have been made eight months ago,” he added. “Although this step represents a positive development for our players, it does not change the serious concerns we share with many people in football about the leadership of FIFA, nor does it erase what our national associations have experienced in the past.”

He said the episode demonstrated the difficulties faced by football authorities, particularly in the context of elections for the FIFA presidency.

“In fact, what happened is clear evidence of the nature of the difficulties we all face, which are often linked to the FIFA presidential elections,” Prince Ali said. “It also does not change my clear position on the leadership of FIFA: neither my national association nor I will support Gianni Infantino, and we will not vote for him.”

The latest comments follow an earlier allegation by Prince Ali that FIFA had attempted to pressure him into publicly supporting Infantino.

Prince Ali previously said Jordan had faced financial issues connected to its participation in the World Cup, while its players were still waiting for their Arab Cup payments from a tournament organised by FIFA.

“We were subjected to taxes by the US government, through FIFA, because of our participation in the World Cup, and we are still waiting for our players’ bonuses for the Arab Cup in Qatar, a tournament organised by FIFA,” he said at the time.

He claimed FIFA had declined to help Jordan with those matters and other issues for several months before he was given a verbal message during the World Cup.

“For months, FIFA refused to help us with these and other issues, until I was told verbally during the World Cup that my support for Infantino would greatly help our national association,” he said.

Prince Ali said Jordan’s principles prevented it from accepting such pressure.

“In Jordan, we take pride in standing by ethical values,” he added. “We did not support Infantino in the past, and we certainly will not support him now. But the whole situation amounts to blackmail, and we refuse to submit to such practices.”