Competition for amateur teams will have its final at Maracanã in July

Thiago Lavinas\ GLOBOESPORTE.COM, in Rio de Janeiro\

The launch of the Zico Cup will be attended by Vasco officials, including President Eurico Miranda. Vasco's greatest idol launched the 1st Zico Cup this Monday at the CFZ, a competition for schools and amateur teams with youth teams up to 17 years old. There is also a category for women up to 20 years old.

The tournament will be played from July 22nd to 28th, and one of the main prizes will be playing the final on the Maracanã pitch. Each team can register a minimum of 16 and a maximum of 20 players. The teams will be divided into groups. During the first phase, all teams will face each other, guaranteeing a minimum of three matches per team in the competition. Matches will take place at the CFZ between 9:17 am and 28:XNUMX pm. The finals will be on June XNUMXth at the Maracanã stadium, with coverage on SporTV.

No federated players will be allowed in the competition for field football.

The expected number of teams per category is 12. However, there is currently no limit on the number of entries. During the launch, Zico explained the decision to create the competition.

"It's for any team. If a kid has a team around the corner, they can sign up. It's for amateurs. Registered players don't participate. New talent can always emerge, but that's not the goal. For kids up to 13, it's more about having fun. After that, it's more about seeing if they have what it takes to play in a club's youth division," said Zico.

Teams from several Brazilian states are expected. During the press conference, Zico lamented the fact that public soccer fields are increasingly rare in large Brazilian cities.

"There's no space to play pickup games these days. It's hard to find a field. Most are in condominiums. That's why it's important to have competitions like this. It's a chance for kids to show off, too. There must be plenty of scouts in the stands. Nowadays, most places have artificial turf. When I was a kid, I played soccer all day Saturday and Sunday, but that's no longer the case."

There will be six categories:

Under-9: athletes born between 1999 and 2000

Under-11: athletes born between 1997 and 1998

Under-13: athletes born between 1995 and 1996

Under-15: athletes born between 1993 and 1994

Under-17: athletes born between 1991 and 1992

Under-20: athletes born up to 1988 (women only)

For more information on registration, please contact the Zico Football Center by phone at (21) 2490-2431 and 2490-2432, or visit www.ziconarede.com.br/copazico. The registration fee is R$1.500 per team.