Former Brazil star Zico still wants to stand in February's FIFA presidential election but is struggling to secure the required backing of five national football associations.
Zico, 62, has until Oct. 26 to gather sufficient support for his bid to replace Sepp Blatter as head of football's world governing body.
The star of the Brazil side of the 1980s said he wanted to clean up football and would represent the "entire community" involved in the sport.
But he has yet to get any official backing, and said even the Brazilian FA had only promised to back him once he had proof that four other federations were behind him.
"The six [continental] confederations put pressure on their associations and have created a situation where they vote en bloc," Zico told France Football.
"So as a result the most important federations are often afraid to give their support to a different candidate to the one designated by the confederations.
"The victims of this system are all the people who work for football and could one day have the desire to stand for election... there has to be more transparency, independence and democracy."
The former Japan and Fenerbache manager has already raised the issue with Blatter and said that, if he were to be elected, he would try to make FIFA more democratic.
"I'm not going to tell you that I have a miracle solution that will solve all the problems in world football," he added.
"But it can no longer continue as it is, with a system where only a few people on the executive committee have the power to decide everything.
"The decision-making process has to be democratised. The congress should have more importance and more influence."