"The whole situation amounts to blackmail." That's not a disgruntled fan on social media — that's the Jordan Football Association president, Ali bin Hussein, writing publicly about FIFA chief Gianni Infantino.
Bin Hussein claims FIFA verbally communicated during the World Cup that endorsing Infantino "would go a long way to helping our FA out" — this after months of FIFA refusing assistance to the Jordanian federation on multiple fronts. He says Jordan declined, and they're not changing their position now.
"We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values. We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now," he wrote on X.
A long list of grievances
This isn't just about a handshake deal gone sour. Bin Hussein laid out a series of concrete complaints that paint a picture of a small football federation being squeezed from multiple directions.
- Jordan fans were charged high ticket prices for World Cup matches but still denied visas to attend.
- The federation has been waiting since December for prize money owed to players for reaching the Arab Cup final in Qatar — a FIFA-organised tournament.
- Jordan was taxed by the U.S. government through FIFA for their World Cup participation, costs that didn't apply to teams based in Canada or Mexico. "Money that should go to players and staff," Bin Hussein said.
That last point stings. Jordan made the World Cup for the first time in their history, went out in the group stage, and came home with less money than expected because of a tax liability tied to geography. Teams that happened to be stationed across the border didn't face the same bill.
Infantino's position is shakier than it looks
This public attack lands at a difficult moment for Infantino. His proposal to sell a minority stake in FIFA's commercial operations — which he framed as a way to raise billions for global football development — was rejected by confederations and national associations after he imposed a hard September 19 deadline. FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom and Arsene Wenger have both distanced themselves from the idea.
The fact that a sitting federation president is now using the word "blackmail" in public, with specifics, is the kind of story that doesn't stay contained. FIFA has been contacted for comment and has yet to respond.
Bin Hussein's closing line says plenty about where Jordan stands: "FIFA brags about how many billions they have in reserve" — while his players wait for money from a tournament that ended months ago.
