Gianni Infantino facing significant challenge as 'widely respected' candidate to run for FIFA presidency

Kozo Tashima, the honorary president of the Japanese Football Association (JFA), has announced his intention to challenge Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency next year - and UEFA are reported to have given their 'blessing'.

Tashima, 68, received seven caps for the Japan national team as a player, and was the president of the JFA between 2016 and 2024.

He announced to Japanese newspaper Sports Nippon that he intends to run, stating that his candidacy is about 'conveying to the world the honest, sound and upright attitude that Japanese football has built'.

Kozo Tashima's FIFA presidency announcement in full

"I am grateful that I can make this announcement with the full support of the JFA," Tashima is quoted to have stated. "It's not about winning or losing but about conveying to the world the honest, sound and upright attitude that Japanese football has built. What FIFA needs now are these values that we have protected. I have decided to run in order to make this appeal to the world."

Tashima is the second figure to confirm his intention to challenge Infantino, with former Tottenham Hotspur defender Ramon Vega having made his announcement last month.

Significantly, The Guardian report that Tashima is 'understood to have acted with the blessing of UEFA' and is widely respected.

SPORTbible has contacted the Japanese Football Association (JFA) for comment.

Can Kozo Tashima win the FIFA presidency?

According to the same report, Tashima is said to have 'many allies in Europe' and also held talks with UEFA officials at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) congress in Tokyo.

In Vega's case, it is said to be unclear whether he has the minimum five endorsements required from the FIFA member nations in order to be added to the ballot.

The AFC endorsed Infantino to run for a third term as FIFA president in October, though whether Toshima's candidacy changes its stance is unclear. The AFC is comprised of 47 member associations, with only one - the Northern Mariana Islands - not a member of FIFA in addition.

Japan have significant prestige when it comes to men's international football, but they have achieved greater success in women's football. They won the 2011 Women's World Cup by defeating the star-studded United States, and are four-time winners of the Women's Asian Cup.

They most recently lifted the Asian Cup earlier this year, and three Nadeshiko players - Yui Hasegawa, Manaka Matsukubo and Momoko Tanikawa - were nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or Feminin. Hasegawa, who plays her club football for Manchester City, narrowly missed out on becoming the first Japanese player, man or woman, to finish inside the top 10 of the Ballon d'Or rankings when she placed 11th.

The men's team, meanwhile, are also four-time winners of the Asian Cup and have qualified for every World Cup since 1998. Their star players include Aston Villa's Zion Suzuki, Bayern Munich's Hidoki Ito, Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo and Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma.