Jordan Football Association chief alleges Infantino linked FIFA assistance to election support

The head of the Jordanian Football Association (FA) on Tuesday accused FIFA President Gianni Infantino of threatening not to offer to help with the FA’s issues unless he endorses Infantino for another term as president of world football’s governing body.

“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,” Ali bin Hussein wrote on US social media company X.

“We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values. We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now. But the whole situation amounts to blackmail and we refuse to give in to that.”

He listed a number of recent issues facing Jordanian football, including visa denials for fans who wanted to attend this summer’s 2026 World Cup, taxation on income from the tournament, and lack of payment for Jordan’s participation in last December’s Arab Cup in Qatar.

“It is clear the problem really is with leadership,” Hussein added, singling out Infantino.

The allegations represent the latest signs of internal dissent following the recent collapse of Infantino's plan to establish a commercial subsidiary to manage FIFA's flagship competitions, including the FIFA World Cup, and allow external investors to acquire minority stakes.

The crisis erupted just weeks after the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a tournament widely regarded as a commercial success that appeared to strengthen Infantino's position ahead of his expected bid for a fourth term in office. Elections are set for next March.

Over the weekend, North, Central America and Caribbean football authority CONCACAF and Europe’s UEFA spoke out about the proposal and Infantino’s leadership, calling for a "comprehensive reckoning."

On Monday, the Football Association of Wales announced its withdrawal of support for Infantino’s bid to remain FIFA president, becoming the first national body to do so, with many others starting to voice their opposition.