Prince Ali bin al-Hussein faces possible disciplinary action after accusing FIFA president Gianni Infantino of manipulating an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) congress to strengthen his reelection campaign.
The Jordanian Football Association president, one of Infantino’s fiercest critics, claimed that the AFC congress in Tokyo took a political turn on its final day. According to Prince Ali, officials could neither speak freely nor ask questions or address the media. He also alleged coercion, threats and corruption, although he presented no public evidence to support his claims.
In response, the AFC announced that it would refer his statements to the appropriate judicial bodies for review, describing the allegations as serious but baseless.
Meanwhile, AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa has backed Infantino’s bid for another term, with the nomination deadline set for November 18. However, tensions between Prince Ali and the FIFA chief have persisted for months. In August, the Jordanian official accused FIFA representatives of offering to speed up grant payments to his federation in exchange for his support. Despite these disputes and the controversy surrounding the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise project, Infantino continues to point to the broad support he receives from member associations.
