{
  "id": 18520840,
  "title": "The Fifa hopeful hoping to take Infantino down with 'samurai spirit'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/the-fifa-hopeful-hoping-to-take-infantino-down-with-samurai-spirit-18520840",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-06T15:36:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/fifa-hopeful-hoping-infantino-down-152145519.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kozo Tashima, a 68-year-old former footballer and current member of the Fifa Council, is planning to challenge incumbent Gianni Infantino for the Fifa presidency in the upcoming March elections. Tashima aims to bring about change at the organization, driven by his disappointment in Infantino's recent actions, such as the cancelled suspension of US forward Folarin Balogun and the abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. To secure the necessary endorsements, Tashima has had positive responses from member associations he has contacted since announcing his candidacy. If he obtains the necessary endorsements, Tashima plans to challenge Infantino by focusing on his philosophy of the values of sincerity, soundness, fair play, and integrity, as well as addressing issues such as governance and accessibility in football. Tashima has expressed his confidence in his ability to win the election, despite the challenges posed by Infantino's strong support base.",
  "summary": "Gianni Infantino's first challenger for the presidency tells BBC Sport why he is standing in the election.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "The Fifa hopeful hoping to take Infantino down with 'samurai spirit'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/the-fifa-hopeful-hoping-to-take-infantino-down-with-samurai-spirit",
        "published": "2026-11-06T15:21:40.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}