Japan's Tashima to Challenge Infantino for FIFA Presidency in March Vote

Photo: Getty Images via Al Jazeera

Gianni Infantino will face a real vote for the FIFA presidency after all. Kozo Tashima, the Japan Football Association's honorary president, said on Thursday he will stand against him in March, with the full backing of Japanese football behind him. It is the first serious challenge to Infantino in years, and it comes after months of anger over how world football is run.

Tashima, 68, made the announcement in Tokyo after a meeting of the Japan Football Association, which agreed unanimously to back him. He led the JFA as president from 2016 to 2024 and has sat on FIFA's ruling council since 2015. He is the second person to declare he will run, after former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega, but the first with a national association firmly behind him.

"With the full support of the JFA I have decided to declare my candidacy in the FIFA presidential election," Tashima said in a statement, Al Jazeera reported. "I believe it is important that the sincerity, integrity and high ethical standards that Japanese football has long valued and built up are clearly communicated to the global football community."

He was blunt about why he is running. At his press conference he pointed to the case of USA striker Folarin Balogun, whose red card ban was lifted after a call from Donald Trump to Infantino. "I was very disappointed that other forces got involved and affected what was happening on the pitch," he said, The Times reported. "I don't think we've reached the point where we have a chance of winning. However, the important thing is to raise our hands and get involved."

The challenge lands after a rough year for Infantino. In July he faced fury across football over a plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits to private investors, a plan that was dropped. He is seeking a fourth term that would keep him in charge until 2031, fifteen years in the job, and a former FIFA governance chief has argued the body's own rules do not allow it, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday.

Infantino is still the strong favourite. The Asian Football Confederation endorsed him last month, and he has said he has the backing of the "vast, vast majority" of member associations. But Tashima's entry means he can no longer expect to walk back in unopposed, and that alone changes the race. Candidates need formal support from five of FIFA's 211 member associations to stand, and the deadline to declare is 18 November.

The key figures in the race:

• Tashima is 68, was JFA president from 2016 to 2024, and has been on FIFA's council since 2015.
• Candidates need backing from five of FIFA's 211 member associations.
• The deadline to declare is 18 November, and the vote is on 18 March in Rabat, Morocco.
• Infantino, 56, is seeking a fourth term that would run until 2031.

For fans, the point is simple. FIFA's president shapes everything from World Cup places to how the game's money is shared, and for the first time in years that job will be fought over in a real vote. Tashima says it is not about winning or losing, but about making Japanese football's voice heard. Reuters reported that he told Japanese media: "It's not about winning or losing but about conveying to the world the honest, sound and upright attitude that Japanese football has built."

The contest also follows a split inside Japanese football itself. Last week the JFA's vice president, Takeshi Okada, who coached Japan at the 1998 and 2010 World Cups, quit over the politics around Infantino shoring up his support. And the JFA's stand puts it at odds with the Asian Football Confederation, which backs Infantino even though its own member association is now running against him.

Football has seen its share of big farewells this week. Cristiano Ronaldo announced his retirement from international football, while Harry Kane signed a new Bayern Munich deal until 2029 after winning the Ballon d'Or. On the pitch, Pakistan lost 3-2 to India in their SAFF opener after a late fightback in Dhaka.

Sources

• Al Jazeera: Top Japan FA official to stand against Infantino for FIFA presidency
• Reuters: Japan FA chief Tashima to challenge Infantino for FIFA presidency
• AP via Sportstar: Japan FA chief Tashima to challenge Infantino for FIFA presidency
• The Times: Kozo Tashima to rival Gianni Infantino for Fifa presidency

Candidates have until 18 November to declare, and FIFA's 211 member associations vote in Rabat on 18 March.

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