Zico withdraws Fifa presidency bid

Former Brazil star Zico has withdrawn his bid for the Fifa presidency after Uefa put its backing behind Gianni Infantino.

Zico launched a manifesto last month pledging to introduce democracy and transparency at the scandal-ridden organisation and committing to advance the use of technology to assist match officials.

But the 62-year-old failed to garner the support of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and only won the backing of two national federations - footballing minnows Angola and Sao Tome & Principe.

All prospective candidates required the support of five national federations ahead of Monday's deadline for entry.

In a post on his campaign Facebook page, Zico suggested Uefa's surprise decision to throw its support behind Infantino cost him the support he required to become a candidate.

"We were very excited yesterday with the promise of six letters of support," Zico said in a post on his campaign's Facebook page. "But, today, with the movement made by UEFA, with the exit of Platini, the scenario changed completely."

Infantino entered the race as Uefa's candidate following Michel Platini's 90-day suspension for allegedly receiving a payment from Sepp Blatter, who has been banned for the same period pending a full investigation.

Liberia Football Association chief Musa Bility and Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa also formally confirmed their candidacies on Monday.