Less drama, more listening, but is Kozo Tashima the candidate to topple Infantino?

Tashima, a former Japan international, is an unlikely insurgent in the race to lead world football. He is a familiar and respected figure in Asian and global football politics, hoping to take the organisation out of the headlines and into a quieter era.

He entered the FIFA Council in 2015 and has rarely made an international headline, a trait he hopes will make a difference in the upcoming election. Tashima is ready to put principles to the fore before the vote in March.

Tashima became the JFA’s technical director in 2002 and moved up to the role of federation president as Japan became Asia’s leading football nation. However, power in the sport has moved westwards, from Tokyo to Riyadh, Doha and Manama.

There has been disquiet within the JFA about how the Asian Football Confederation has become too close to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The feeling about FIFA is worse, particularly regarding President Gianni Infantino’s closeness to Donald Trump.

Given the United States’ crucial role as a security partner and export market for Japan, the president’s actions regarding tariffs and his relationship with China and North Korea went down badly in Tokyo. Trump’s favourability in Japan fell below 30% in May.

The Folarin Balogun affair during the World Cup and the leaking of Infantino’s plan to sell off the tournament’s commercial rights to private investors further eroded trust.

Yet in October, the JFA president, Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, backed Infantino, a decision that resulted in the resignation of the JFA vice-president, Takeshi Okada.

Okada led Japan at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, a campaign he survived despite calls for his sacking. Tashima’s support as JFA president was key to this, and his loyalty was rewarded with seeing the Samurai Blue reach the knockout stages for the first time on foreign soil.

Now, Okada has backed Tashima, whose candidacy came as a surprise to most in Asia. There is an expectation that UEFA’s candidate will be announced soon, but if no one is put up by Europe’s governing body, Tashima becomes the main challenger to Infantino’s supremacy.

He would automatically get some support from UEFA and Concacaf members but may not have the international connections to pick up enough votes elsewhere. Tashima has put his chances of winning at between 20% and 30%, but he insists this is not really about winning.

He will also have backing from the east and south-east, where the JFA has built relationships with national associations such as those of Singapore and Thailand. If Tashima does win, he would be a president who looks to build consensus behind the scenes and make as few headlines as possible.

There will also be no cosying up to world leaders, or certainly not any more than is absolutely necessary. Football fans may well appreciate a quieter, less visible, less controversial man at the top of the sport’s world governing body.