Gianni Infantino faces his first serious challenger for the FIFA presidency after Japanese football chief Kohzo Tashima announced his intention to stand in March’s election.
Tashima, a member of the FIFA Council and honorary president of the Japan Football Association (JFA), will have the backing of his national association and is expected to secure the five endorsements required to become an official candidate.
UEFA is working to prevent Infantino from securing another term. It is expected to overwhelmingly back Tashima if he emerges as the incumbent’s only challenger. In that scenario, the Japanese official could also attract support from anti-Infantino factions within the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF.
The AFC’s position remains significant. Its president, Sheikh Salman, performed a U-turn two weeks ago to back Infantino at the confederation’s Congress.
FIFA’s 211 member associations will vote in the election, and a candidate needs at least 106 votes to win. The deadline for candidates to declare their intention to stand is November 18.
Tashima’s Football Career
Tashima is a former Japan international who went on to coach the country’s Under-17 and Under-20 national teams before moving into football administration. He has held several senior positions within the JFA, including general secretary, vice-president and president. He has also served on the AFC’s executive committee.
Can Tashima Beat Infantino?
Analysts see Tashima as a real threat, though doubts remain about whether he can gather enough support. One expert said, “Kozo Tashima certainly gives Gianni Infantino something to worry about. I think Infantino would much prefer to stand unopposed.”
The same expert added, “Having said that, I’m not sure whether Tashima will get the support he needs to beat Infantino. FIFA has 211 members, and each national association has one vote. So you need the backing of 106 FAs to win.”
He predicted strong European support: “Now, I think Tashima, if he is Infantino’s only challenger, will have the overwhelming backing of Europe. He can count on almost all of UEFA’s 55 votes.”
On Asia, he said, “He’ll also pick up some votes in Asia, even though the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), his own confederation, has backed Infantino. But that doesn’t mean all of Asia are going to support Infantino. He can also attract backing in CONCACAF, across North and Central America, and perhaps a few votes in the Caribbean. Can he get to 106? I’m not so sure.”
Could Wenger Enter the Race?
Attention has also turned to whether Arsene Wenger could join the race. Wenger, a legendary former Arsenal manager, currently serves as FIFA’s chief of global football development.
The expert said, “I think if he were to come out and stand, that would make real, real headlines. That would be front-page news. I’m not sure if he’d have the numbers to beat Infantino either, but I think he would have a good chance, especially because lots of things can happen in FIFA presidential elections.”
He pointed to history as a warning against assuming the result. “When Infantino first won the presidency 10 years ago, he was not the favorite. He wasn’t even supposed to be a candidate. The only reason he entered the race was that Michel Platini had to drop out.”
He concluded, “At the moment, it looks like Infantino is the favorite, despite all the controversies and scandals. But watch this space, because sometimes FIFA presidential elections can be very, very exciting.”