Resignation in Japan due to Infantino’s ‘fault’

The vice president of the Japan Football Federation (JFA), Takeshi Okadaannounced his resignation this Wednesday, amid a disagreement with the recent positions adopted by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) regarding the FIFA. His departure comes after the AFC on Friday expressed its support for the candidacy of Gianni Infantino for a new mandate at the head of the world organization.

This position contrasts with that adopted a few weeks earlier by the AFC, which had joined European and North American organizations in criticizing Infantino’s project to open FIFA’s most prestigious competitions – including the World Cup – to private investors. Okada, former Japan coach at the 1998 and 2010 World Cups, explained that these controversies are incompatible with his personal convictions.

“Throughout my career, I have attached great importance to the social value of sport, convinced that it should be practiced with integrity,” he declared, before adding that he cannot accept this gap between his principles and the positions recently adopted. The Japanese leader specified that his decision has been long considered and taken on his own initiative, and does not explicitly point out the support of the AFC as the direct cause of his resignation.