Kaka says red card may help him regain form

Johannesburg: Kaka wants to take advantage of his red card against Ivory Coast by getting in shape for the decisive stages of the World Cup.

The Brazil playmaker remains displeased after being sent off late in the 3-1 win over Ivory Coast on Sunday, but said the forced time off means he will be able to focus on improving his physical conditioning for the rest of the tournament.

Kaka will miss the final Group G match against Portugal on Friday. Brazil has already secured their place in the next round.

He played well against Ivory Coast but struggled in the opening match against North Korea following a season plagued by injuries with Real Madrid.

"I have to look at the positive side," Kaka said. "I'll use this time to continue working on my physical fitness. It's going to be important to get myself ready and return in top form for the next round."

Kaka was sent off in the 88th minute at Soccer City after Ivory Coast's Kader Keita ran into him while going for the ball.

Kaka dropped his elbow to protect himself as Keita moved in. The Ivory Coast player reacted as if being hit on the face, and the referee gave a second yellow card for Kaka to be sent off for the first time with the national team.

"I'm not going to talk about the sending off," Kaka said after the match. "The images tell it all. I hope FIFA looks into this."

The Brazilians were quick to defend Kaka and complain about the refereeing of France's Stephane Lannoy.

"The red card was completely unfair," Brazil coach Dunga said.

FIFA said it had not received any official complaints from Brazil.

Ivory Coast also would have good reason to complain about the refereeing after Brazil striker Luis Fabiano acknowledged he had scored Brazil's second goal after the ball touched his hand.

Although still far from his best, Kaka was key for Brazil, setting up Luis Fabiano's first goal and Elano's third. He had a great chance to score himself in the second half, but his shot from inside the area was saved by the goalkeeper.

He still made some mistakes but was satisfied with his performance.

"I'm happy for the result and I'm happy for how I played, participating in two goals," Kaka said. "I'm gaining more confidence."

Kaka arrived at the World Cup as Brazil's biggest star but had been struggling to regain his rhythm after a series of injuries with Madrid. He played sparingly with the Spanish club because of groin and thigh injuries that made it difficult for him to stay in form.

The 2007 FIFA player of the year, Kaka was in Brazil's squad when it won the 2002 World Cup title in South Korea and Japan, and was a starter when it was eliminated by France in the quarterfinals four years ago in Germany.