Prince Ali challenges Infantino’s claim of Asian unity

Jordan Football Association president Prince Ali bin Hussein has accused Gianni Infantino of turning the Asian Football Confederation Congress into a political platform, disputing claims that the continent is united behind his re-election as FIFA president.His intervention challenges the significance of AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa’s endorsement in Tokyo, where Infantino also publicly supported Sheikh Salman’s bid for another term.Writing on X, Prince Ali said: “Having come back from Tokyo where the AFC Congress took place, the first two days were about football, which we all serve. The last day was pure politics at the behest of Gianni Infantino.“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.“Lack of transparency leads to lack of accountability. No amount of coercion, threats or bribes should be allowed.”Prince Ali did not elaborate on the reference to coercion, threats or bribes, and his statement does not establish that such conduct occurred. FIFA and the AFC had not responded to requests for comment in the supplied reporting.The criticism exposes disagreement within Asia despite Sheikh Salman’s declaration of support, underlining the distinction between a confederation president’s endorsement and the individual positions of its member associations.The AFC has 47 members, each with its own position in FIFA’s electoral system. Japan Football Association president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto had already said that his organisation had not decided whether to back Infantino and questioned whether all Asian associations were aligned.Prince Ali’s intervention also follows an earlier confrontation with Infantino over FIFA’s relationship with Jordan.In August, he accused the FIFA president of seeking his endorsement in exchange for assistance with problems facing the association, describing the approach as blackmail.Two days later, Prince Ali confirmed that Jordan’s players and staff had received outstanding rewards for their participation in the 2025 Arab Cup. The sequence alone does not establish a connection between the payment and his criticism.The latest dispute comes after the AFC joined UEFA and Concacaf in criticising Infantino’s handling of FIFA Forward Enterprise, the subsequently abandoned proposal to sell a minority interest in FIFA competition commercial rights.Sheikh Salman has since said discussions with Infantino resolved their differences, while Prince Ali continues to question the transparency of the process and the presentation of Asian support.Infantino, meanwhile, has rejected suggestions that the controversy should force his departure and pointed to endorsements from Asia and Africa.Asked in a BBC Sport interview whether he was fit to remain president and had considered resigning, Infantino said: “Well you know I was elected by 211 member associations from all over the world.“I think what is important is that in an organisation like FIFA, there can be different views, different points of view.”He continued: “There are different points of view it’s not always easy to bring them all under one roof but we need to respect and I do respect all opinions all views and then it will be up to the FIFA member associations to decide who they want as a president and how they want FIFA to be run.”Infantino’s emphasis on electoral support contrasts with Prince Ali’s complaint about whether members had an opportunity to express their views at the congress.The FIFA president also defended the need to move beyond disagreements. He said: “There is nothing bad in disagreeing. We see it every day in so many countries in the world. It’s OK to disagree. It’s OK to have different points of view, but then we need to be able to move on.”UEFA continues to seek documents and answers concerning the abandoned investment proposal and other governance matters by November 2, ahead of the November 18 presidential nomination deadline.Infantino did not commit to that timetable, citing legal processes governing disclosure.He said: “We’ll answer of course all the questions that are asked as far as the process allows, as far as we can.”No challenger had filed in the supplied reporting for March’s election, leaving Prince Ali’s criticism as a challenge to the claimed consensus rather than an announced alternative candidacy.