Now will the FA put their money where their mouth is? England chiefs and UEFA must decide whether to back rival Japanese bid to FIFA president Gianni Infantino after slamming World Cup controversial sell-off plan

The FA and UEFA face a dilemma over whether to support a bid to challenge Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency after honorary Japanese FA president Kohzo Tashima announced his decision to stand.

Alongside the FA, UEFA have spearheaded opposition to Infantino following the collapse of his botched deal to sell stakes in the World Cup.

However, despite declaring Infantino 'has lost the confidence of UEFA' and threatening to boycott the World Cup, the European governing body have so far failed to come up with a candidate to challenge him at the March election in Rabat.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin decided against a run for the FIFA presidency, opting instead to focus on securing another term at the top of European football.

At a meeting of the FA Council last month FA chair Debbie Hewitt demanded answers over the World Cup sell-off plan - and decision to suspend the ban of US striker Folarin Balogun after pressure from Donald Trump. She said: 'The man has to answer those questions, and if he doesn't answer those questions, no, he's not fit to be FIFA president, and that was what was shared in the meeting.'

But there is a growing feeling that a European candidate would struggle to secure sufficient support from the rest of the world, while Infantino believes he already has enough votes to secure re-election, making it difficult to find a credible challenger.

Japanese FA president Kohzo Tashima has announced a decision to stand for FIFA presidency

Tashima will run against the controversial current president Gianni Infantino (left)

That said, FIFA Council member and Japanese FA bigwig Tashima could split the Asian vote and is well respected in Europe.

With Tashima - the first candidate to secure the backing of a national association - declaring his intention to run, pressure is now mounting on the FA and UEFA to either support his bid or put forward a candidate of their own, having called for Infantino to step down.

It follows former Tottenham and Switzerland footballer Ramon Vega making a public leadership bid on Wednesday, though it is unclear whether he could obtain the backing of enough national associations.

Candidates require the support of five football associations to run for the presidency and must pass eligibility checks by November 18.

Tashima is the first candidate with a realistic chance to announce an intention to run before the November 18 deadline, where the support of five national associations is required.

Speaking to Japanese newspaper Sports Nippon, Tashima said: ‘I am grateful that I can make this announcement with the full support of the Japan Football Association.

‘It’s not about winning or losing but about conveying to the world the honest, sound and upright attitude that Japanese football has built. What FIFA needs now are these values that we have protected. I have decided to run in order to make this appeal to the world.’