Japan Football Association board member Motoaki Inukai has emerged as a solid candidate to become the head of the national soccer governing body, sources close to the JFA said Wednesday.
Inukai, 66, who had said before that he received no offer, admitted Wednesday that he has held a private meeting with outgoing President Saburo Kawabuchi, but declined to discuss what they talked about.
Meanwhile, Kawabuchi only said after coming out of a meeting to select a new lineup for the JFA board of directors, "Things are moving forward."
The JFA is scheduled to finalize the selection of the president in a meeting on Saturday.
Kawabuchi, 71, will leave his post at the expiration of his third two-year tenure on Saturday. He is known for playing a leading role in the establishment of the J. League.