FIFA pays up on overdue prize money after Jordan ‘blackmail’ remark

Ali criticised FIFA President Gianni Infantino after he backed out of his proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup and found himself under pressure from confederations and national associations, saying FIFA had offered to help solve the kingdom’s problems in exchange ‌for his endorsement.

One of the problems he listed was that the association had been waiting since December for prize money for reaching the Arab Cup final in Qatar.

“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 said on X on Thursday.

“This was funding that should have ⁠been received eight months ago.”

Ali had alleged FIFA verbally communicated during the World Cup that backing the president “would go a long way to helping our FA out”.

FIFA did not respond to requests for ⁠comment on the allegations.

Ali added that receiving the money was a welcome development but it would not change ⁠the concerns his organisation has about FIFA’s leadership.

“It ⁠is symptomatic of those exact difficulties that we all face and that are usually linked to the FIFA presidential elections,” he added.

“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.”

FIFA apologised to its members for mistakes made over its abandoned proposal to ‌sell ‌commercial rights to the World Cup, but the body’s leadership reaffirmed its support for Infantino after a crisis meeting in Morocco on Wednesday.

Infantino is seeking to extend his decade-long presidency into a fourth and final term in an election scheduled for March.