Kozo Tashima: Japan leader looking to bring ‘integrity’ to FIFA
Kozo Tashima, a veteran Japanese football administrator, has announced his candidacy for the FIFA presidency. He aims to restore integrity to the organization, emphasizing that sport should prioritize values over business interests.
Why it matters
His candidacy represents a challenge to the current FIFA leadership and a push for reform within global sports governance.
Tokyo Kozo Tashima first started playing football after watching the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and since then he has dedicated his life to developing the sport’s growth in Japan. The 68-year-old is set to become the first person from Japan to run for the FIFA presidency after announcing he would stand against Gianni Infantino in football’s governing body’s election in March. Tashima has served as a football player, coach and bureaucrat and has a reputation for being a safe pair of hands. He rarely makes headlines, and one of the few times he appeared outside the sport pages was when he became one of the first public figures in Japan to contract coronavirus in March 2020. He spent time studying at the German Sport University Cologne and said the experience changed the way he saw sport’s purpose in society.
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