Panaji, July 7 (IANS) Brazilian football legend Zico said on Tuesday he was gearing up for the FIFA presidential elections, casting doubts on his continuing as FC Goa coach should he decide to contest for the top post.
Zico is presently the coach of the Indian Super League (ISL) franchise having guided the team to the semi-finals of the competition in its inaugural season last year.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has already resigned and will formally step down in January when elections take place. He was dragged into a global corruption scandal within the world football’s governing body and is being currently investigated by the United States authorities for possible wrongdoing.
Zico, who arrived in Goa on Monday for the ISL draft to be held on Friday, had earlier expressed his desire to run for the top post. The elections are likely to be held in January next year.
“I feel very prepared to be the candidate for presidency and I am preparing across all platforms if elections happen in January. I am preparing myself a platform to reach out to all confederations in the world to be the candidate,” he said at a press conference here on Tuesday.
“If I have to participate in the elections, it will be difficult for me to come back to Goa,” Zico added.
The second edition of the ISL is scheduled to start on October 3 this year and culminate in early December, a period in which campaigning for football’s top administrative slot would reach frenetic pace.