Kozo Tashima Announces Challenge to Gianni Infantino for FIFA Presidency

Kozo Tashima says he will run against Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency in March. Guardian Sport reported the announcement on November 5, quoting Tashima's pledge to bring an "honest, sound, upright attitude" to the job.

Tashima is already part of FIFA's leadership structure. ESPN identified him as a FIFA Council member in its report on the challenge.

On November 5, Telegraaf reported that Tashima had announced his candidacy after a meeting of the Japanese football association. CNN Brasil reported that he disclosed his intention in an interview, with the election scheduled for March.

The argument Tashima put forward centred on his approach to leadership. "What Fifa needs now are these values," he said, according to Guardian Sport, referring to the honesty, soundness and uprightness he said he would bring.

The same day's coverage also described the support surrounding the contest. DIE ZEIT reported that Tashima sees his own association as being behind him. But L'Équipe reported that the Asian Football Confederation had already given its backing to Infantino.

Tashima has publicly declared his intention to contest the election. Vg places the vote in March next year, meaning March 2027. The supplied reports do not establish whether his formal nomination has been completed.

The coverage conflicts over his Japanese association title. Guardian Sport calls him president, while World News CNA and CNN Brasil call him honorary president. L'Équipe describes him as a former president who led the association from 2016 to 2024.

He is not necessarily Infantino's only challenger. DER SPIEGEL describes Tashima as a second opponent emerging during a months-long power struggle, although the supplied coverage does not name the other candidate.

The next questions are whether Tashima's announced bid becomes a formally confirmed candidacy and which associations publicly support him before March. His belief that his own association backs him, reported by DIE ZEIT, sits alongside the Asian confederation's earlier support for Infantino, reported by L'Équipe.