Jordan FA President Prince Ali Says AFC Congress Final Day Was 'Pure Politics at the Behest of Gianni Infantino'

Since Friday, Oct. 23, when AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa used an extraordinary congress in Tokyo to back Gianni Infantino's re-election bid, the endorsement has drawn its first public challenge from inside Asian football.

On Sunday, Oct. 25, Jordan Football Association president Prince Ali bin Hussein posted on X that the congress was not what it was made out to be.

"The first two days were about football, which we all serve. The last day was pure politics at the behest of Gianni Infantino," he wrote.

"Nobody was allowed to speak"

Prince Ali disputed the idea that Asia had reached a united position on the next FIFA president.

"There were reports that Asia has a united position when it comes to electing the next FIFA President. In fact, nobody was allowed to speak, question, debate or talk with the media," he wrote. "Lack of transparency leads to lack of accountability. No amount of coercion, threats or bribes should be allowed."

He did not say who he believes applied coercion, threats or bribes, and he did not elaborate on the claim. FIFA and the AFC had not responded to requests for comment from Reuters and Al Jazeera as of publication.

In a separate post, Prince Ali made a procedural point. Confederation presidents have "no decision-making power" in FIFA elections, he wrote. The vote belongs to each individual member association, so claims that confederation members or the FIFA Council have a role in the voting are "entirely unfounded."

What the AFC said in Tokyo

Sheikh Salman publicly embraced Infantino at the congress and said Asia was united behind him. He said he expects most of the AFC's 47 member associations to follow that position. Infantino also addressed the congress and backed Sheikh Salman for another term.

The turnaround was abrupt. A little over two months earlier, the AFC had joined European and North and Central American football bodies in saying Infantino committed a "fundamental breach of trust" over the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which has since been abandoned.

On Saturday, Oct. 24, Infantino laughed off questions about whether he had considered resigning after the FFE collapse. He pointed to what he described as overwhelming support from member associations around the world.

An existing feud

Prince Ali's complaint follows a public fight that began in August. He accused Infantino of "blackmail," saying FIFA had offered to help solve Jordan's problems in exchange for his endorsement.

Two days later, he confirmed that Jordan's players and staff had received outstanding reward money for the 2025 Arab Cup. The association had been waiting since December for the prize money from its run to the final in Qatar. Prince Ali has not tied the payment to his accusation in the statements reported so far.

Infantino has not addressed Prince Ali's latest remarks, which came after Infantino's Saturday comments.

The calendar

FIFA's election is scheduled for March. Candidates must file by Nov. 18. Infantino declared his candidacy for a fourth term on Sept. 6, and no challenger has entered the race.

That leaves the AFC endorsement as a significant boost to his position. Sheikh Salman's claim that most of Asia's 47 associations will follow is a forecast, not a count, and the votes are cast by individual associations, as Prince Ali pointed out.

Whether any association, or any rival candidate, steps forward before Nov. 18 is the open question. So is whether Prince Ali, who has criticized FIFA leadership publicly, backs his words with specifics.