headtopics
Kohzo Tashima, a member of the FIFA Council, has expressed his intention to contest the FIFA presidential election against the current president, Gianni Infantino, as reported by Japanese media on Thursday. The news emerged after a meeting of the Japan Football Association (JFA).
Tashima's decision makes him the first credible challenger to Infantino since the FIFA leader sparked widespread controversy in July with a proposal to sell stakes in future World Cup profits to private investors.
The Japanese newspaper Asahi reported that Tashima declared his candidacy for the election scheduled for next March, and that the JFA board members unanimously agreed to support him. Nikkan Sports, another Japanese sports newspaper, also carried the report.
At 68 years old, Tashima is a former player for the Japan national team and a former president of the JFA. He has served on FIFA's ruling committee since 2015, when Sepp Blatter was president. Tashima is known as a respected, diplomatic, and low-profile official in the often opaque realm of soccer politics.
To be eligible, candidates must secure formal backing from at least five of FIFA's 211 member federations, which will vote on March 18 in Rabat, Morocco. They must also pass an eligibility review conducted by a three-member panel appointed by FIFA.
UEFA, the European soccer governing body, has been actively searching for a candidate to challenge Infantino ahead of the November 18 deadline to enter the race.
Originally reported by headtopics.