Prince Ali Calls Out FIFA Leadership Over Withheld Prize Money

In Geneva, former FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin Al Hussein has criticized the organization’s leadership under Gianni Infantino. He accused FIFA of holding back prize money owed to the Jordan national team as a form of blackmail. Prince Ali stated that the Jordanian federation he leads has yet to receive funds for reaching the final of last December’s FIFA Arab Cup held in Qatar.

During the World Cup, where Jordan made its debut in June, Prince Ali was approached to endorse FIFA President Gianni Infantino. He was told this endorsement would benefit the Jordan Football Association. However, Infantino faces challenges in maintaining his presidency amidst backlash over a failed plan to sell World Cup profit stakes to investors led by Joshua Kushner.

“We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values. We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now,” said Prince Ali.

He was a candidate in the FIFA presidential race when Infantino was first elected in February 2016. Prince Ali vehemently opposed what he described as blackmail, refusing to cave to such pressures.

Regarding the FIFA Arab Cup, Jordanian media reported the Jordan national team’s due prize of $4.2 million for being the beaten finalist against Morocco remains unpaid. Prince Ali pointed out FIFA’s claims of having billions in reserves while withholding payments.

“It is clear the problem really is with leadership. For months, FIFA has been refusing to help us on any of these or other matters,” he claimed.

Prince Ali’s tenure in FIFA’s executive committee spanned from 2011 to 2015. He challenged Sepp Blatter in the 2015 presidential election, held amidst raids in Zurich linked to investigations by U.S. and Swiss agencies.

Despite expectations for Infantino’s unopposed re-election for a term through 2031, recent events have sparked unrest in soccer politics. Europe’s soccer body UEFA seeks a rival candidate following revelations of the private equity plan backed by Kushner’s Thrive Eternal fund. The proposal offered $20 million to FIFA members, including Jordan, had they accepted by a September deadline.

UEFA has also threatened to boycott FIFA events, backed by voices from the North American CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, which Jordan is part of. FIFA has set a November 18 deadline for election candidates, with voting by 211 federations scheduled for March 18 in Rabat, Morocco.

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