Sports

Japanese Football Official Tashima Seeks FIFA Presidency, Estimates 20‑30% Chance

By Reuters

Kozo Tashima, the honorary president of the Japan Football Association, has announced his intention to run for FIFA president in the March election, becoming the first Japanese candidate to seek the position. The 68‑year‑old former Japan international, who has served on the FIFA Council since 2015 and was JFA president until 2024, told the Japanese daily Sports Nippon that he believes he has a 20 to 30 percent chance of winning against incumbent Gianni Infantino. Tashima said governance is FIFA’s biggest problem and outlined his platform, stating, “I’ll keep what’s good and change what’s bad… The biggest problem, however, remains governance.” He added that he wants to raise his confidence to 40 or 50 percent as the campaign progresses. Tashima requires nominations from five national associations to stand in the election; candidates have until November 18 to submit nominations. Infantino is seeking a fourth term and has received support from several FIFA confederations, while his candidacy faced scrutiny in July over an attempt to bring private investors into a new FIFA commercial entity. The head of Asian football publicly endorsed Infantino in October, giving him a boost among FIFA’s 211 member associations. Tashima’s candidacy follows former Tottenham Hotspur defender Ramon Vega’s announcement last month that he would challenge Infantino.