RIO DE JANEIRO: Zico has asked the Brazilian football confederation to support formally his campaign to stand for the presidency of world federation FIFA writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

The 62-year-old needs five nominations from national associations if he is to be approved as a candidate by the October 26 deadline ahead of the election on February 26 next year.

Zico is coach of the Indian club Goa FC and may struggle to gain domestic support after some of his criticisms of the CBF.

The Brazilian federation has headaches of its own on the international stage because president Marco Polo Del Nero is unable to leave the country for fear of arrest in connection with United States investigations into world football corruption.

Zico scored 66 goals in 89 appearances for Brazil in the 1970s and 1980s, third only in the scoring charts behind Pele (95) and Ronaldo (67). He has been national coach of Japan and Iraq and was sports secretary in 1990-91 in the government of Fernando Collor de Melo.

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