The Fifa hopeful hoping to take Infantino down with 'samurai spirit'

Gianni Infantino's first challenger for the presidency tells BBC Sport why he is standing in the election. Kozo Tashima is under no illusions it will be easy to take down Gianni Infantino – but the first serious challenger for the Fifa presidency says he will draw on his "samurai spirit". First, the 68-year-old needs to get the endorsement of five member associations around the world. The honorary president of the Japan Football Association said he has had "good replies" from those he has contacted since announcing his ambition to run in the March elections. If he achieves the necessary endorsements, the next step is an altogether different proposition – toppling Infantino, who has been in charge of Fifa for a decade and told BBC Sport last month he believed he had the backing of the "vast, vast majority" of world football.

Tashima, who sits on the Fifa Council, acknowledged the scale of the challenge, but wants to bring "good change" to the organisation. The former footballer says he is driven by disappointment in Infantino's recent actions, surrounding the cancelled suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun at the World Cup and the abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. In an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, he spoke of why he feels he cannot leave