Japan’s Tashima to stand against Infantino for FIFA presidency
The Japan Football Association honorary president, Kozo Tashima, has announced his intention to challenge Gianni Infantino for the next FIFA presidency.
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 faced intense scrutiny since it emerged that he had planned to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
The FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal was abandoned at the end of July, after significant backlash from across world football.
The deadline for candidates to stand in the election is 18 November.
While support for Infantino was severely hit by the FFE scandal, he has rebuilt it 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.
Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Ramon Vega was the first person to put their name forward in October for next year's Fifa presidential election.
However, Tashima's emergence as a challenger, backed by the Japan Football Association (JFA), will now test the strength of Infantino's supporter base.
As with any candidate, Tashima will need the backing of five FIFA member associations.
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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