Jordan Football Association Receives Prize Money After Delay
Jordan finally has its money. The politics are only getting started.
Two days after accusing FIFA of “blackmail”, Jordan Football Association president Prince Ali bin Hussein confirmed that long-delayed prize money for the national team’s run to the 2025 Arab Cup final has landed in the right accounts.
The timing could hardly be sharper.
Money arrives after public blast
Jordan had been waiting since December for the funds due for reaching the Arab Cup final in Qatar. Eight months of silence, according to Ali. Then, on Thursday morning, the logjam broke.
“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,” Ali posted on X.
“This was funding that should have been received eight months ago.”
The players and staff, he said, have now received “outstanding reward money” for their efforts. For those inside the Jordan camp, it is overdue recognition of a landmark run in a regional showpiece.
The politics behind the delay, though, have exploded into public view.
Allegations of pressure from Zurich
Ali has gone directly at FIFA President Gianni Infantino in recent days, accusing him of backing away from a controversial proposal to sell a stake in World Cup commercial rights only after facing fierce resistance from confederations and national associations.
According to Ali, FIFA figures then floated a different kind of offer: help with Jordan’s football finances in exchange for his personal support.
He alleged that during the World Cup, FIFA “verbally communicated” that endorsing Infantino “would go a long way to helping our FA out” as the kingdom grappled with issues such as the unpaid Arab Cup prize money.
FIFA has not commented on those allegations, despite requests for a response.
The sudden release of the funds on Thursday only sharpened the questions. The money has arrived. The mistrust remains.
‘It does not change my clear position’
Ali welcomed the payment, but made it clear it has not softened his stance on the man at the top of world football.
He described the episode as “symptomatic” of wider problems inside FIFA, particularly around presidential elections and the way power is exercised and maintained.
“It is symptomatic of those exact difficulties that we all face and that are usually linked to the FIFA presidential elections,” he said, before drawing a firm line.
“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.”
In an era when many associations keep their grievances behind closed doors, the public nature of Ali’s rejection stands out. It is a direct challenge, not just to a policy, but to a presidency.
FIFA backs Infantino as elections loom
Inside FIFA, the leadership has already moved to contain the fallout from its abandoned World Cup commercial rights plan. The organisation apologised to its members for “mistakes” over the proposal after a crisis meeting in Morocco on Wednesday, while its top brass closed ranks around Infantino.
The president is seeking to stretch his time in office into a fourth and final term, with elections scheduled for March. The governing body’s hierarchy has reaffirmed its support for him despite the storm.
Ali’s accusations now cut into that narrative of unity. They raise uncomfortable questions about how influence is traded, how money flows, and how dissenting voices are handled in the run-up to a vote that will shape FIFA’s direction for years.
Jordan’s players and coaches finally have what they earned on the pitch in Qatar. The bigger contest, over who truly calls the shots in world football and on what terms, is only intensifying.
