November 9, 2026
The President of the Lebanese Football Association and Vice-President of the Asian Football Confederation, Hashem Haider, decided his position on the FIFA presidential elections, declaring categorical support for the current president, Gianni Infantino, and stressing that the latter’s chances of retaining his position for a fourth term in the March 2027 elections are considered “decided.”
In statements he made to Agence France-Presse on the sidelines of Infantino’s opening of a stadium in the town of Chanet in Mount Lebanon, Haider stressed that Lebanese support for Infantino is “declared, clear and unequivocal.”
This position comes at a time when Infantino (56 years old), the Swiss-Italian-Lebanese, is seeking to win a fourth and final term, overcoming sharp criticism and previous calls for resignation against the backdrop of Aglit’s plan to sell World Cup rights. His electoral position was strengthened after the Asian Football Confederation announced, last month, its support for his candidacy, in addition to Infantino’s confirmation that he had the support of an “overwhelming majority” of member associations in the face of opposition voices, especially coming from the European Union.
In a competitive move, the Honorary President of the Japan Football Association, Kozo Tashima, announced on Thursday his candidacy to compete with the current president. However, Haider downplayed the chances of the Japanese candidate, explaining that he might win some votes from the continents of Asia and Africa, but building a serious competition for the presidency of FIFA requires a wide network of relations extending to include South and North America and the rest of the world, which remains difficult to achieve.
For his part, Tashima acknowledged the difficulty of the task; The Japanese newspaper “Sports Nippon” quoted him as estimating his current chances of winning at between 20 and 30 percent, expressing his hope to raise them to between 40 and 50 percent as his election campaign progresses, and his desire to bring about a radical change within the corridors of the International Federation.
