NEWS
Inukai appointed as new JFA President
J. League General Secretary and former Urawa Reds President Motoaki Inukai was named as the 11th President of the Japan Football Association in a JFA Councilors meeting at JFA House in Tokyo on Saturday.
Inukai, who will serve for two years, succeeds outgoing President Saburo Kawabuchi.
Inukai, 66, has worked as J. League General Secretary and as a JFA Executive Director since 2006 following his four-year spell as President of J. League club Urawa Reds. The native of Saitama played for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in the old Japan Soccer League
from 1965-68.
He will be assisted by three vice presidents: FIFA and AFC Executive Committee member Junji Ogura, J. League Chairman Kenji Onitake and Kuniya Daini.
Kawabuchi will serve as Honorary President of the JFA, while his predecessor Shunichiro Okano has been named as Supreme Advisor. Kunishige Kamamoto becomes an Honorary Vice President after serving as Vice President.
"I'm feeling an enormous responsibility in succeeding such a great person," Inukai said in reference to Kawabuchi at a news conference on Saturday. "I'd like to carry on the work of the JFA."
Inukai added: "The environment surrounding football is constantly changing, and what we did in the past may not be applicable today. I would like to make our association understand what needs to be done in the football world, readdress our priorities and confront the situation facing us."
"We would like to work hard together to help Japanese football develop further," Inukai stated.
Asked about measures to improve attendance at Japan matches, Inukai said: "If you look at the European Championship, you can see the pride each player has in playing for his country, and that was conveyed to their fans. I'd like to see a similar thing happen in our national team games. We should try to play well and win."
Professional tennis player Kimiko Date-Krumm and Seiji Hirao, the former captain of the Japan rugby team, were named as JFA Executive Members. It is the first time for the JFA to have non-football officials on the Executive Board.
