Kozo Tashima, the honorary president of the Japanese Football Association (JFA), announced on

Kozo Tashima, the honorary president of the Japanese Football Association (JFA), announced on Thursday, November 5, that he will run against Gianni Infantino in the upcoming FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 2027. Tashima is the second candidate to declare his candidacy against Infantino, following former Tottenham Hotspur defender Ramon Vega.

“With the full support of the JFA, I have decided to declare my candidacy for the FIFA presidential election,” Tashima, 68, stated in a press release. He is a former member of the FIFA Council. Tashima emphasized the values he believes should guide the global sport. “I believe it is important that the sincerity, integrity, and high ethical standards that Japanese football values and has built over a long time are clearly communicated to the global football community,” he said.

Tashima, who served as president of the JFA from 2016 to 2024, intends to use his experience gained over the years. “I will rise to this challenge with firm determination in order to contribute to the continued development of world football,” he added. The deadline for candidates to declare their candidacy for the election is set for November 18.

Infantino Remains the Favorite

Gianni Infantino, the Italian-Swiss who has led world football’s governing body since 2016, remains the heavy favorite for the election, which will take place at the FIFA Congress in Rabat on March 18, 2027. This is despite the criticism he has faced since the announcement of an aborted project to create a commercial company open to private investors.

Infantino is now in a strong position to secure re-election after the Asian Football Confederation threw its support behind him last month. The 56-year-old had previously declared he had the support of the “very, very great majority” of member associations and had rejected calls for him to step down.

Tashima’s Critique and Platform

Kozo Tashima, président d’honneur de la Fédération japonaise de football, a annoncé sa candidature à la présidence de la Fifa contre Gianni Infantino. The former footballer criticized the management of the last FIFA World Cup, citing specific controversies. He mentioned the cancellation of the suspension of American midfielder Folarin Balogun at the request of former U.S. President Donald Trump and the refusal to grant visas to some members of the Iranian team, as reported by the Japanese press agency Jiji Tsushin.

“We should convey to the world the healthy, sincere, and worthy philosophy that Japanese football has built up to this point. FIFA must become a just and equitable organization,” Tashima declared, according to Courrier International, which relayed his remarks. He also noted that Infantino did not respond to questions he had sent him. “For the time being, we have no other candidates besides him for the presidential election. Not holding an election and seeing Gianni Infantino stay in his post [which he has held since 2016] is the worst thing that could happen,” Tashima stated.

The Race for Support

Tashima is not the first opponent to challenge Infantino in the race for the FIFA presidency, as The Guardian reported. Ramon Vega, a former defender for the English club Tottenham Hotspur, has already declared his candidacy, though it is “not certain that he could gather the support of 5 of the 211 FIFA member federations,” a necessary condition to participate in the vote, the British newspaper noted.

As for Tashima, he already has the backing of the JFA and could potentially secure that of UEFA, according to The Guardian. The European body, which has been at loggerheads with FIFA, notably over the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise project, “spent months looking for a candidate to block Infantino. It was able to conclude that a non-European candidate would receive broader support,” wrote the London-based publication.

Divided Support and a Difficult Campaign

Gianni Infantino can count on the support of African and South American nations, while Asian federations appear to be divided. A Japanese football specialist site, Football Channel, analyzed the situation: “At this stage, the incumbent candidate is the favorite for the election; the campaign looks difficult for Tashima. But this scenario could change if he manages to unite the countries opposed to Infantino’s presidency, mainly in Europe.”

What’s Next in the FIFA Presidential Race

The next major date in the FIFA presidential race is November 18, the deadline for all candidates to officially declare their candidacy. After that, the focus will shift to securing the necessary support from member federations, a process that will be closely watched in the lead-up to the March 2027 congress in Rabat.

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