Zico set to continue with FC Goa

PANAJI: Zico’s association with Indian football will not end with the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League.
FC Goa have started talks with the Brazilian legend and are confident they can convince him to return to India for the next two years.
Zico is the ISL’s most famous import and the most expensive manager in India’s sporting history. The Brazil legend has also proved to be worth every penny, if not more, guiding FC Goa to the last four stage of the tournament at a time when most ardent fans had lost faith in the side that had accumulated just five points at the end of the first leg.
“I think I want to come back here,” Zico said after his team was cruelly knocked out of the tournament by Atletico de Kolkata via the tiebreaker at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Wednesday.
“The desire of the owners is to have me back for two years and my desire is to come back as well. But I have not taken any decision as yet. Now I will go back home, then have a holiday and at the end of it, relay my answer to the owners. I need some time to think,” said Zico.
According to sources, the Goan franchise have held two rounds of talks with the Brazil great and believe only a few loose ends need to be tied before he agrees to sign on the dotted line.
According to those involved with the negotiations, Zico’s decision will largely hinge on the duration of the second ISL. If, like the opening edition, the ISL is played for a mere three months, Zico will be hesitant to return as he believes three months is too short to make any significant impact on the overall structure of the game.
“Zico wants to spend at least six or seven months here. During this time he wants to do all that he did in Japan which is now a powerhouse in Asian football,” said the source.
One of the world’s best footballers ever, and certainly the greatest player not to win the World Cup, Zico spoke in glowing terms about the four months that he spent here.
“These four months were well lived. I am touched by the love I have received not just from Goa but across India,” said Zico.