Japanese Football Official Kozo Tashima Aims to Unseat FIFA President Infantino in 2027 Election

Kozo Tashima, the honorary president of the Japan Football Association (JFA), has announced his intention to challenge incumbent Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency in the March 2027 election. Tashima believes he has a 20 to 30 percent chance of winning the top position in global football, aiming to improve FIFA's governance, which he identifies as its biggest problem.

Speaking to Japanese daily Sports Nippon, Tashima stated, “I’ve received many messages saying, ‘Thank you for speaking out’….” He officially declared his candidacy on Thursday, becoming the first Japanese individual to vie for world football's highest office. The 68-year-old former Japan international has been a member of the FIFA Council since 2015 and led the JFA as its president from 2016 until 2024.

Tashima has reportedly been contacted by officials from eight countries, including some outside Asia, expressing positive responses, though no formal endorsements have been secured yet. He aims to gather support from at least six national associations to meet the prerequisite of five nominations needed to stand for election. The deadline for submitting nominations is November 18, with Infantino seeking his fourth term as FIFA president.

Infantino faced scrutiny in July following an unsuccessful attempt to involve private investors in a new FIFA commercial entity related to World Cup rights. Despite this, his re-election bid received a boost in October with an endorsement from the head of Asian football, and support from several FIFA confederations positions him favorably among the organization's 211 member associations.

Tashima outlined his approach: “I’ll keep what’s good and change what’s bad… The biggest problem, however, remains governance… Selflessness is my motto… At this stage, I think my chances of winning are about 20 to 30 percent, but as the campaign progresses, I want to raise my confidence to 40 or 50 percent. I truly want to change FIFA.”

Ramon Vega, a former Tottenham Hotspur defender, was the first to publicly declare his intention to challenge Infantino, who is also Swiss.