Jordan Football Chief to Cooperate With Asian Body After Vote Dispute

Prince Ali bin Hussein, the head of the Jordan Football Association, announced on Wednesday that his organization will fully cooperate with a judicial review opened by the Asian Football Confederation. The review was initiated after Prince Ali accused FIFA President Gianni Infantino of seizing control of the recent AFC Congress for political gain.

The dispute began during an extraordinary congress held in Tokyo last week. AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa used the session to endorse Infantino for re-election. Prince Ali stated that delegates were blocked from speaking or debating key issues. He described the final day of proceedings as pure politics carried out at the request of the FIFA President.

On Tuesday, the AFC issued a statement to clarify the events. The confederation said that neither Prince Ali nor representatives from other member associations had formally requested to speak during the sessions. The AFC noted that while claims of coercion, threats, or bribery are serious, they require credible evidence. The organization confirmed it would send Prince Ali's specific remarks to its internal judicial bodies for examination.

Late Wednesday, Prince Ali addressed the situation on the social media platform X. He expressed respect for the AFC and its judicial mechanisms. He stated that the Jordan Football Association will vote independently in the upcoming FIFA presidential election, as allowed by FIFA Statutes. He defended his earlier comments as a clarification of the voting process and a call for transparency in governance.

Prince Ali explained that his final sentence in the earlier post was a statement of shared principle rather than a direct accusation against a specific person. He said the principle that no election should face coercion or bribery is shared by the entire football family. He indicated he would refrain from further public comments while the AFC judicial panel considers the matter.

Gianni Infantino has served as FIFA president since 2016. He is seeking to retain his position in a vote scheduled for March. His bid comes after he apologized regarding an abandoned proposal to sell a stake in FIFA competitions. The AFC's recent endorsement marks a shift in stance, as the confederation had accused FIFA of a fundamental breach of trust over that same proposal three months ago.

The AFC judicial panel will now examine the statements made by Prince Ali. The process will determine if formal sanctions are imposed or if the matter is resolved as a governance principle. The outcome will influence how future continental congresses manage delegate participation and the endorsement of global leaders.