Japan football association official resigns after AFC aligns with Infantino

Vice president Takeshi Okada said responses to several World Cup controversies did not align with his personal values.Published On 28 Oct 202628 Oct 2026The vice president of Japan’s football association has quit, saying the “series of responses” to controversies surrounding the World Cup did not align with his personal values.Takeshi Okada, who coached Japan at the World Cup in 1998 and again in 2010, stepped down a week after the head of Asian football said the region supported Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election as FIFA president.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Five major upsets in English football before Arsenal’s League Cup shocklist 2 of 4Harry Kane: How the ‘runt of the litter’ conquered a historic Ballon d’Orlist 3 of 4The Ballon d’Or has a narrow definition of footballing greatnesslist 4 of 4Kylian Mbappe loses Chinese sponsors for calling Mao ‘Chinese dictator’end of listAsian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa delivered the unequivocal backing at a meeting in Tokyo.It came weeks after the AFC had joined football bodies in Europe and North America in condemning Infantino over his plan to open FIFA’s premium competi...