Two-time World Cup coach Takeshi Okada has resigned as vice president of the Japan Football Association in protest against the politics surrounding FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s re-election campaign.
The Japan Football Association published Okada’s resignation statement Wednesday. Dated Saturday, it came a day after the Asian Football Confederation reversed course and publicly endorsed Infantino, who is seeking a fourth and final term in an election scheduled for March.
Infantino has faced mounting criticism since July over his failed plan to sell a stake in World Cup commercial rights and his broader leadership style, including his close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump. The backlash has drawn criticism from football officials in Europe and North America, as well as from Asia before the confederation changed its position.
Okada, 70, who coached Japan at the 1998 and 2010 World Cups, cited his belief "that sports should embody integrity” in his resignation statement.
"However, the series of actions surrounding this year’s FIFA World Cup represent a significant divergence from my personal convictions,” Okada said in the statement. "As a sportsman, I cannot accept this.”
Okada acknowledged the complexities of Japan’s position in the politics of FIFA, football’s world governing body, and the Asian confederation, adding that he understood "there are practical reasons for aligning with the AFC’s stance.”
Japan wants to host the men’s World Cup before 2050, federation President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said at an online AFC meeting in October 2023 that endorsed Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 tournament.
AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa joined two of his fellow FIFA vice presidents, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani, in August in criticizing Infantino for "deception” and a "fundamental breach of trust” over his push to sell a permanent stake in World Cup profits.
Infantino lined up a $4.2 billion deal with private investors led by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka.
However, Infantino never lost the support of Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup, and appeared to regain the backing of Saudi Arabia, host of the 2034 tournament, after the kingdom withheld public support before welcoming him to Jeddah this month.
The two Gulf states are major power brokers in Asian football. Last Friday, Sheikh Salman, a member of Bahrain’s royal family, surprised many football observers by announcing at an AFC assembly in Tokyo that the confederation would endorse Infantino.
The AFC represents 46 of FIFA’s 211 member associations, all of which will be eligible to vote in the March 18 election in Rabat, Morocco.
FIFA’s 211 member associations effectively own the Switzerland-based nonprofit organization. Infantino has promised each association $25 million for development projects and operating costs over the next four years.
European football’s governing body, UEFA, has committed to finding a candidate to challenge Infantino before the Nov. 18 deadline for entering the race.
The fallout from the AFC meetings in Tokyo continued into this week.
Former FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan wrote on social media that Friday’s AFC meeting was "pure politics at the behest of Gianni Infantino.”
Prince Ali, who was one of four candidates to challenge Infantino in the 2016 FIFA presidential election, said Asia was not united behind the incumbent and added: "No amount of coercion, threats or bribes should be allowed.”
The AFC called the claims "unsubstantiated” and disputed Prince Ali’s assertion that no member had been allowed to take the floor to speak.
"Such serious accusations must be supported by credible evidence,” the AFC said, referring Prince Ali’s comments to its judicial officials for possible disciplinary action.
In another social media post Wednesday, Prince Ali acknowledged the AFC’s response and said his original post was intended to express his view "on the importance of transparency in football governance.”
"It was a statement of principle, not an allegation against any person. Where concerns arise, the proper place for them is the competent bodies,” he wrote on X. "I respect the AFC and its judicial bodies and will cooperate fully with any process. As the FIFA Statutes provide, the Jordan Football Association will cast its vote in the FIFA presidential election independently.”