"He blackmailed me": Federation President levels serious accusations against Infantino

The President of the Jordan Football Association, Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, accuses the FIFA leadership headed by Gianni Infantino of "blackmail." Prince Ali, who previously ran for the FIFA presidency, claims that the organization threatened to withhold financial aid from the Jordan Football Association if it refused to support Infantino's candidacy for another term.

Funds are delayed, support is conditional

According to Prince Ali, the players of the Jordanian national team have not yet received the prize money due to them for their participation and reaching the final of the Arab Cup in Qatar, which took place last December. The prince revealed that during the World Cup, it was made clear to him verbally that supporting Infantino would greatly help solve the financial problems of the Jordanian association. He emphasized that Jordan upholds ethical values, refused to succumb to blackmail, and will not support Infantino in the upcoming elections to be held in March.

Jordan's accusations join a wave of loss of support for Infantino from many countries that had previously sent letters supporting his continued tenure. Greece is the latest country to withdraw its support for the incumbent president, joining countries such as England, Wales, Finland, and Serbia. Other European associations are expected to announce a similar move in the coming days, while a number of countries in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football are also seriously considering withdrawing their support.

Internal rebellion in FIFA's top brass

At the same time, Infantino's authority suffered a heavy blow when two of his key allies distanced themselves from his failed private investment plan. FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström called the project a "sad and deplorable series of events" in an email he sent to the organization's staff. Arsène Wenger, who serves as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, also stated that the cancellation of the project was absolutely necessary and emphasized that he was not involved in this strategic plan at all and found out about it from the media.

Following the current crisis and the threats to his status, Infantino is trying to save his position. According to reports, the FIFA president has summoned the organization's staff to an urgent emergency meeting to be held next Wednesday in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, in a desperate attempt to hold onto his seat.