Under a guidance of Mr. Hugo Cots, General Counsel of Corporate Affairs & Competitions of Argentine Football Association (AFA), Japan Football Association (JFA) President Daini Kuniya visited the grave of former AFA President/ Senior Vice-President, FIFA, Mr. Julio Humberto Grondona on 2 March during his South America trip and paid floral tributes at his grave marker. (A person on the right in the photo is JFA International Committee member KITAYAMA Tomonori)

Mr. Grondona served as the AFA president for 35 years from 1979. He led the world of football for many years as he took up a FIFA executive committee member position in 1988 and also served as a FIFA Vice President afterward. On 13 July 2014, however, he passed away at the age of 82 from aortic aneurysm.

Daini said “Mr. Grondona greatly helped out Japanese football. Holding the 2002 FIFA World Cup , founding the Suruga Bank Championship, bidding 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, all of them would not have been achieved without his support. I’d like to express my gratitude for his deep friendship with Japanese football and also wish to express my sincerest sympathy.” He put his hands together along with Mr. Hugo Cots, General Counsel of Corporate Affairs & Competitions, AFA, in front of Grondona’s grave.

Daini will depart to Paraguay today (3 March), where the South American Football Confederation is located.