FIFA election: Japan's Kozo Tashima announces his candidacy

FIFA elections are scheduled for March 2027. Gianni Infantino, the current president of the organization, is seeking a fourth term amid high tensions and legal challenges.

It's worth remembering that he tried to sell shares of the World Cup commercial rights to private investment firms, which provoked a huge outcry in the football world.

The aim is to "transmit to the world the sincere, solid and ethical attitude that Japanese football has cultivated"

Will these challenges hinder his re-election? It's hard to say. But one thing is certain: he won't be alone in the starting blocks.

Honorary president of the Japan Football Association (JFA) Kozo Tashima announced last Thursday his candidacy for the position of FIFA president.

“I am grateful to be able to make this announcement with the full support of the JFA. It’s not about winning or losing, but about conveying to the world the sincere, solid, and ethical attitude that Japanese football has cultivated. These are precisely the values we have preserved and that FIFA needs today. I have decided to run to share these values with the world,” said Kozo Tashima.

"A leadership based on the unilateral decisions of a minority is unacceptable"

Clearly, Kozo Tashima's objective is to bring FIFA back to "fairness and justice." For him, making a profit is important in itself, but the distribution of funds must be the subject of in-depth discussions among the 211 member associations.

"A leadership based on the unilateral decisions of a minority is unacceptable," he asserts.

The Japanese man will not be the only challenger to Gianni Infantino in March 2027. Ramon Vega, a 55-year-old Swiss man, has also announced his candidacy.