Kozo Tajima, honorary president of the Japan Football Association, will run for the FIFA presidency in March 2027, a challenge to Gianni Infantino that tests whether the governing body's leadership can be contested from Asia.
Tajima, 68, announced his candidacy on the grounds of running a "fair and just" organization. He is targeting a president criticized over political interference and excessive commercialism, and wants to block Infantino's re-election.
The JFA board voted unanimously to approve the run. Tajima played for the national team and served as JFA president from March 2016 to March 2024, and he remains a FIFA council member.
A first for Japan, and a threshold to clear
The election is held every four years, at a congress in Morocco in March 2027. A candidate needs nominations from at least five of FIFA's 211 member associations.
Tajima would be the first Japanese to run for the presidency, and Asia has never produced a FIFA president. Nominations from four associations outside Japan have yet to be secured.
No policy platform has been presented. The candidacy rests on principle rather than on a clear path to victory.
Support in Europe is the open question
Infantino is seeking another term, and Ramon Vega, a former Switzerland defender, is also in the race. That makes three declared candidates.
Sheikh Salman, president of the Asian Football Confederation, has backed the incumbent. Tajima's home region is therefore not a guaranteed base.
Japanese newspapers greeted the announcement with favorable headlines. The Asahi Shimbun quoted Tajima on returning FIFA to fairness, and the Yomiuri Shimbun reported his objection to putting FIFA's interests first.
Sports Hochi framed the race as fairness against Infantino, and Nikkan Sports described the move as a check on the incumbent's re-election.
The rebel candidacy has organizational reform on its side. Without support beyond Japan, though, it risks leaving Japanese football isolated within Asia as well.