Japan Football Association honorary president Kozo Tashima has officially announced his bid to run against Gianni Infantino for the Fifa presidency. The 68-year-old, who became JFA president in 2016 and currently sits on the Fifa Council, enters the race with a background as both a former international player and coach. His candidacy, backed by the JFA, presents a direct challenge to Infantino as the incumbent targets a fourth term in charge of football's world governing body.
Explaining his decision to run, Tashima stated that he wants to convey "integrity, soundness, and high moral standards" and "contribute to a better future for football." Elaborating on his campaign, Tashima said: "I believe it is important to clearly communicate to the world of football the integrity, soundness, and high moral standards that Japanese football has cherished and built up over the years. I have decided to run for Fifa presidential election in order to convey this philosophy to the world and contribute to a better future for football. I will take on this challenge with strong determination, making use of the experience I have cultivated so far, and contributing to the further development of world football." JFA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto endorsed the move, noting: "This decision is a major challenge to contribute to the further development of world football by utilising that experience and knowledge, and at the same time, we believe it will be an opportunity to show the world the ideals and attitudes that Japanese football has cherished."
The leadership challenge follows a tumultuous period for Infantino, who faced heavy scrutiny over the abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. The FFE proposal was dropped at the end of July following widespread backlash across global football. Although the controversy severely damaged Infantino's standing, he has worked to rebuild support in recent months. The current president previously told BBC Sport that he believed he retained the backing of the "vast, vast majority" of the football world, having recently secured a full endorsement from the Asian Football Confederation following a U-turn by its president, Sheikh Salman.
However, Tashima's entrance will now put the true resilience of Infantino's voter base to the test. Before going forward, Tashima, like all prospective candidates in the election, must secure the formal nominations of at least five Fifa member associations ahead of the fast-approaching registration deadline on 18 November.