FIFA’s Tashima to run against Gianni Infantino

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has a serious challenger in his fight for re-election amid the biggest crisis of his 11-year leadership of world soccer.

FIFA council member Kozo Tashima — a colleague of Infantino for nearly 11 years — intends to run for president against the incumbent, Japanese media reported on Thursday after a meeting of the national soccer federation.

Tashima is the first serious rival to emerge against Infantino ahead of a Nov. 18 deadline since the FIFA leader provoked a furor in global soccer in July with a plan to sell stakes in FIFA World Cup profits to private investors.

Then-Japan Football Association president Kozo Tashima speaks at a news conference at its headquarters in Tokyo on April 9, 2018.

Photo: AFP

“The worst thing that can happen is he [Infantino] is re-elected to the post without an election,” Tashima said on Thursday, quoted by business newspaper Nikkei.

Infantino’s multibillion dollar investor project was dropped within days after a backlash by soccer leaders in Europe, Asia and North America plus FIFA staffers.

He and FIFA also faced scrutiny over the integrity of disciplinary decisions affecting World Cup games, in cases involving Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, US forward Folarin Balogun and Democratic Republic of the Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.

Japanese newspaper Asahi reported that Tashima announced his intention to run in the election in March and that board members of the Japan Football Association unanimously agreed to back him.

Tashima is a former president of the association.

The Nikkan Sports newspaper also reported the news.

“It’s not win or lose, but we must show the rest of the world the sincere, sound and noble approach of the Japanese soccer,” Tashima said, according to sports newspaper Sponichi Annex.

Japanese soccer and Tashima have kept a seat at the high table of Asian and FIFA politics in the past 15 years as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) came more under the influence of Gulf states like Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Still, a rift developed last month when the AFC, having criticized Infantino in August, switched position to give him support.