Asian Football Confederation refers Jordan FA president Ali to disciplinary bodies after Infantino claims

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has referred Jordan Football Association president Prince Ali bin Al Hussein to its judicial bodies after he accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of using an AFC conference for political purposes and described it as a “political spectacle”.

The decision follows comments made by Prince Ali after the AFC’s extraordinary congress in Tokyo on Friday last week. The AFC confirmed the referral, according to Reuters, saying it concerned statements made in the aftermath of the meeting.

The dispute began after AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa announced his full support for Infantino’s re-election as FIFA president. He said Asia was now united behind Infantino.

That position marked a significant change from only three months earlier, when the AFC itself accused Infantino of a “gross breach of trust” over a proposal by the cancelled FIFA Forward Enterprise to sell a stake in FIFA competitions.

Following the Tokyo congress, Prince Ali claimed that participants had not been given an opportunity to challenge or discuss the decisions taken. He said: “No one was allowed to speak, ask questions, have a discussion or communicate with the media.”

He described the final day of the congress as “just a political spectacle”.

AFC rejects allegations

The AFC responded with a strongly worded statement, rejecting Prince Ali’s account of events. It said neither he nor any representative of another member association had requested to speak, and rejected any suggestion that the congress had been conducted improperly.

The organisation said: “The Asian Football Confederation takes seriously allegations unsupported by any evidence or proof of coercion, threats or bribery. Such serious allegations must be supported by credible evidence and must not be made without a sound factual basis.”

It added: “Accordingly, the AFC will refer the statements of the president of the Jordan Football Association, including the allegations raised, to the relevant judicial bodies of the AFC for consideration and any further action they may deem appropriate in accordance with the AFC Statutes and applicable regulations.”

The AFC’s judicial bodies will therefore consider Prince Ali’s remarks and decide whether further action is appropriate under the confederation’s statutes and regulations.

Previous dispute with Infantino

This is not the first time Prince Ali has publicly criticised the FIFA president.

In August last year, he launched a strong attack on Infantino, accusing him of “blackmail”. Prince Ali also alleged that FIFA had offered to help resolve problems facing the kingdom in return for his political support.

Those earlier accusations have now resurfaced as the latest dispute places renewed strain on relations within Asian football, amid questions over the balance between support for FIFA’s leadership and the independence of the AFC’s decision-making.