Brazilian footballer Romario to run for Congress

Football star Romario de Souza has announced plans to run for Congress in October elections as a Brazilian Socialist Party candidate.

“My principal objective is to work with all my strength to aid impoverished children,” the Brazilian soccer hero known simply by the name Romario said in his first television ad appearing Tuesday evening.

A member of the Brazilian 1994 World Cup championship squad and a player for several European and Brazilian clubs during his sports career, Romario has faced a series of legal and personal problems.

His luxury Rio apartment was auctioned off last year for 4.5 million dollars to pay debts and he was convicted of tax evasion and investigated in connection with a murder linked to an illegal gambling network.

He spent 22 hours in custody until he paid a debt of 45,000 dollars to his first wife and mother of two of his six children.

Romario recently returned to action with the Rio team America, coming out of retirement from two-decade career in which he played at clubs including Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven in Europe and a number of Brazilian clubs including Vasco da Gama.