“I stick to my principles.” A statement from Prince Ali in response to the AFC’s recourse to the judiciary

The President of the Jordanian Football Association, Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, issued a statement in response to the AFC’s decision to refer his statements to judicial bodies. Prince Ali said, through his account on the “X” platform, on Wednesday: “I noticed the statement of the Asian Football Confederation issued on October 27, and my post on October 25 explained the voting mechanism in the elections for the presidency of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), as each member association casts its own vote. The post also expressed my opinion on the importance of transparency in football governance.”

He continued: “As for the last sentence, it confirms a principle shared by the entire football family, which is that any elections should not be subject to coercion, threats, or bribery, and I adhere to this principle. That sentence was an affirmation of a principle, not an accusation against anyone, and wherever there are any concerns, their rightful place is in the competent authorities.” Prince Ali continued: “I have the utmost respect for the Asian Federation and its judicial bodies, and I will cooperate fully with any measures. According to the FIFA Statutes, the Jordanian Federation will cast its vote in the FIFA presidential elections with complete independence, and I will not make any additional comment as long as the matter is under consideration.”

How did the dispute between the president of the Jordanian Federation and the Asian Federation begin? On Monday, Prince Ali said in a blog post that FIFA President Gianni Infantino exploited the AFC General Assembly for “political purposes as part of his bid to be re-elected for a new term.”

Prince Ali wrote at the time: “When it comes to FIFA elections, federation presidents have no say...so any recent claims that members of the continental federations have a role in voting are irrelevant.” The President of the Asian Confederation, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, supported Infantino’s candidacy for re-election during the association’s extraordinary general assembly.

Prince Ali bin Al Hussein added: “After my return from Tokyo, where the AFC Conference was held, the first two days were about football, which we all serve, while the last day was pure politics at the request of Gianni Infantino.” He continued: "There have been reports that Asia has a unified position when it comes to electing the next president of FIFA. In fact, no one was allowed to speak, ask questions or discuss, or speak with the media. The absence of transparency leads to the absence of accountability, and no amount of coercion, threats or bribes should be allowed."

For its part, the AFC responded, on Tuesday, to the post of the President of the Jordanian Federation, stressing that the General Assembly was held “properly.” The Football Association of the Yellow Continent decided to refer Prince Ali’s statements to the competent judicial bodies in the federation, “to consider them and take any additional measures it deems appropriate, in accordance with the AFC’s statute and applicable regulations.”