Kozo Tashima, honorary president of the Japan Football Association (JFA), announced on Thursday, November 5, his candidacy for FIFA president in the election scheduled for March 18, 2027, in Rabat.
He is the second candidate to challenge Gianni Infantino, following former Tottenham defender and Swiss international Ramon Vega.
“With the full support of the JFA, I have decided to declare my candidacy for the FIFA presidential election,” said the 68-year-old Tashima, who previously served on the FIFA Council, in a statement.
“I believe it is important that the sincerity, integrity, and high ethical standards that Japanese football values and has built over many years are clearly communicated to the global football community,” he said.
He wants to “share these principles with the world and contribute to a better future for football.”
Tashima, who served as JFA president from 2016 to 2024, said he intends to draw on his “experience gained over the years.”
“I will take on this challenge with firm determination so that I can contribute to the continued development of world football,” he said.
The deadline for candidates to declare their intention to run is November 18.
Infantino, 56, who has led world football’s governing body since 2016, remains the clear favorite ahead of the election, which will take place during the FIFA Congress in Rabat on March 18, 2027, despite facing criticism over an abandoned plan to establish a commercial company open to private investors.
However, Infantino is now in a strong position to secure re-election after the Asian Football Confederation backed him last month.
Infantino had previously said he enjoyed the support of the “very, very large majority” of member associations and rejected calls for him to step down.
