Japan Football Association Honorary President Kozo Tashima Challenges Gianni Infantino for FIFA Presidency

Japan Football Association honorary president Kozo Tashima has announced his candidacy to run for the FIFA presidency, challenging incumbent Gianni Infantino in the upcoming election scheduled for March in Rabat. Tashima, a 68-year-old former football player, coach, and bureaucrat, becomes the first person from Japan to run for the position. He is widely respected in the sport and is understood to have entered the race with the backing of the Japan Football Association and the blessing of UEFA.

Tashima stated that his decision to run stems from a belief that sport must uphold its integrity in an era dominated by business and finance. Speaking to the Japanese newspaper Sports Nippon, he emphasized his intention to convey an honest, sound, and upright attitude to the world. He also told reporters that an uncontested continuation for Infantino would be undesirable, describing the election as a test of FIFA's ability to reform itself from within.

According to reports, Tashima will have no difficulty securing the nominations required to appear on the ballot, needing support from five of FIFA's 211 member associations. He joins former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega as a declared challenger ahead of the November 18 deadline, though it remains unclear whether Vega has secured the necessary member association backing. Tashima is expected to receive votes from Europe and the North and Central American and Caribbean confederation (Concacaf), while potentially splitting the vote within the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The announcement follows an Asian Football Confederation congress in Tokyo where AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa publicly endorsed Infantino, marking a shift from previous opposition. Meanwhile, Infantino retains the public backing of several leading AFC nations, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, alongside support from Africa and South America. He requires 106 votes to secure a fourth term.

Tashima's career in football began after watching the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, inspiring a lifelong dedication to the sport's development in Japan. He captained his team to a national high school championship victory in Kumamoto, played for Japan's national team while studying, and later pursued coaching studies in Germany, where he noted the advanced scientific and systematic nature of European training methods. Throughout his career, he has built a reputation as a low-profile administrator.