Kozo Tashima to challenge Infantino in FIFA election
Japan Football Association honorary president Kozo Tashima has declared he will challenge Gianni Infantino in FIFA’s presidential election in March. Tashima…
Kozo Tashima, honorary president of the Japan Football Association, will challenge FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the presidential election in March, a contest that could complicate Infantino’s bid for a fourth term. Tashima announced his candidacy with the association’s support and is the second challenger to declare before the November 18 deadline.
The 68-year-old said he wants to bring the values of Japanese football to the global game. His campaign adds a candidate with links across Europe to a race in which Infantino is expected to have substantial support among FIFA member associations.
Why is Tashima challenging Infantino?
Tashima said he is running to promote the principles he believes Japanese football has built over time. “With the full support of the JFA I have decided to declare my candidacy in the FIFA presidential election,” he said in a statement.
He also described the values he wants to emphasize. “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.”
Tashima added that his experience would inform his campaign. “Drawing on the experience I have gained over the years, I will take on this challenge with firm resolve so that I can contribute to the further development of world football.”
The Japan Football Association president from 2016 to 2024 has served on the FIFA Council. He also held talks with UEFA officials at last month’s Asian Football Confederation congress in Tokyo, and is understood to have UEFA’s backing.
What could his candidacy change?
Tashima’s entry could affect how opposition to Infantino is organized. He may attract votes from Europe and Concacaf, while also splitting support within the Asian Football Confederation, where its president, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa, publicly endorsed Infantino after the congress.
That contest matters because Infantino has backing from several leading countries in the AFC, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as support from Africa and South America. The Guardian report said he is expected to secure the 106 votes needed for re-election to a fourth term.
Tashima is not the only challenger. Former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega declared before him, but it remains unclear whether Vega has nominations from five of FIFA’s 211 member associations, the threshold required to appear on the ballot. Tashima, by contrast, is expected to secure the nominations, according to the report.
The campaign also follows Infantino’s aborted plan to sell a 20% stake in FIFA’s commercial rights, which drew criticism and opposition. The Asian Football Confederation later endorsed him, strengthening his position ahead of the election.
For football associations, the immediate question is whether Tashima’s candidacy can turn stated opposition into votes, or instead divide challengers’ support. The deadline for candidates to declare is November 18.
