Japan Football Association vice president Kozo Tashima and general secretary Hiromi Hara have fulfilled the necessary requirements to become the association's next president, the JFA's selection committee said on Friday.
With no other candidates forthcoming, the bid to become top honcho at the JFA will be a two-horse race between FIFA executive committee member Tashima, 58, and the 57-year-old Hara.
The two will be battling it out to win votes from the 75 members of the board of trustees on Jan. 31. They both received the seven nominations required to run for election by Wednesday's deadline.
Members of the board of directors have already cast their votes, and that body's choice will be published on Jan. 21. That choice may or may not have any influence on the decisive vote by the board of trustees at the end of the month.
"I'm grateful to those who recommended me. Now I'm in the ring and hope to deliver more detailed plans," Hara said.
Tashima said, "The decision will be about what we can put into practice or not and whether we act seriously. I received support from more members than expected."
In the past, the JFA president was nominated by senior members, with members of the board of trustees only rubber-stamping the decision after the board of directors passed judgment. The format has been revised for the first time to increase transparency.