Prince Ali's Criticism of FIFA
Prince Ali, President of the Jordan Football Association, criticized FIFA's handling of issues related to national federations. According to his statements, the main problem lies with leadership.
Challenges Faced During World Cup Participation
Prince Ali pointed out that despite being a small country and having a football federation with limited budget, Jordan faced significant challenges during its participation in the tournament. One of the major challenges was the difficulty for some Jordanian fans to obtain entry visas to the United States, even though they had match tickets, as well as the high cost of those tickets.
Additionally, the Jordanian Football Federation also faced additional financial burdens due to taxes imposed by the US government through FIFA on participation in the tournament. This money was supposed to be directed towards supporting players and technical/administrative staff.
Failure to Pay Financial Rewards
Prince Ali explained that the Jordanian Football Federation is still waiting for financial rewards owed to the national team after reaching the finals of the Arab Cup in Qatar, a tournament organized by FIFA. These rewards have not been paid despite FIFA's reported large reserves.
Rejection of Political Support
Prince Ali stressed that Jordan adheres to moral values and rejects this approach. He said that the Jordanian Football Federation did not support FIFA President Gianni Infantino before and will not do so now, considering that linking assistance or solving issues with political support as 'amounting to extortion'.
