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Image caption,

Kozo Tashima became president of the Japan Football Association in 2016

By

Laura Scott

Sports News Correspondent

  • Published11 minutes ago

The Japan Football Association honorary president, Kozo Tashima, has announced his intention to stand against Gianni Infantino to be the next Fifa president.

Tashima, 68, is a member of the Fifa Council and a former international footballer and coach.

He said he wants to convey "integrity, soundness, and high moral standards" and "contribute to a better future for football".

Infantino has beenunder intense scrutinysince it emerged he had been planning to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

The Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE)proposal was abandonedat the end of July, after significant backlash from across world football.

The deadline for candidates to stand in the election is 18 November.

Whilst support for Infantino was severely impacted by the FFE scandal, he has shored up support in recent months.

Infantino told BBC Sport last month that he felt he had the backing of the "vast, vast majority" of world football as he bids for a fourth term in charge of Fifa.

His comments came after he was "fully endorsed" by the Asian Football Confederation - following a U-turn by its president Sheikh Salman.

However, Tashima's emergence as a challenger - with the backing of the Japan Football Association (JFA) - will now test the strength of Infantino's supporter base.

As with all candidates, Tashima will require the backing of five Fifa member associations.

Figure caption,

Infantino laughs off resignation questions

Announcing his intentions, Tashima said: "I believe it is important to clearly communicate to the world of football the integrity, soundness, and high moral standards that Japanese football has cherished and built up over the years.

"I have decided to run for Fifa presidential election in order to convey this philosophy to the world and contribute to a better future for football.

"I will take on this challenge with strong determination, making use of the experience I have cultivated so far, and contributing to the further development of world football."

Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, president of the JFA, said: "This decision is a major challenge to contribute to the further development of world football by utilising that experience and knowledge, and at the same time, we believe it will be an opportunity to show the world the ideals and attitudes that Japanese football has cherished."

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