Japan FA vice-president quits over FIFA World Cup decisions

Former Japan coach Takeshi Okada has resigned as vice-president of the Japan Football Association (JFA), citing concerns over developments surrounding FIFA and the World Cup, the JFA said on Wednesday.

Okada’s resignation comes a week after Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa endorsed Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election as FIFA president at the AFC’s extraordinary congress in Tokyo.

The endorsement marked a sharp shift from the AFC’s position three months earlier, when the confederation accused FIFA of a “fundamental breach of trust” over the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal to sell a stake in FIFA competitions.

In a statement published on the JFA website, Okada said his decision was guided by his belief in the integrity and social significance of sport.

“Guided by my belief that sports should embody integrity, I have always valued their social significance,” he said.

“However, the series of actions surrounding this year’s FIFA World Cup represent a significant divergence from my personal convictions. As a sportsman, I cannot accept this, which has led me to make this decision.”