Former Brazil coach Tele Santana, who led his country at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, had part of his left leg amputated during hospital surgery on Monday.

Santana, whose 1982 team was regarded as one of the best to grace the sport even though they did not win that year's World Cup, was in a stable condition, according to a statement issued by the Felicio Rocho hospital in Belo Horizonte.

The statement added that Santana, 72, had developed ischemia -- a decrease in blood supply caused by obstruction of the blood vessels -- in the leg following an earlier operation last week. The leg had to be amputated below the knee.

Santana has diabetes and was forced into retirement in 1996 after suffering a stroke.

The Brazilian focused on attacking football throughout his coaching career and his 1982 World Cup team, featuring players such as Zico, Socrates, Falcao, Junior and Eder, lifted the game to new heights.

Against the odds, though, Brazil were knocked out in the second-round group stage after suicidal defending sent them crashing to a 3-2 defeat by Italy in one of the most memorable games in the sport's history.

Santana came back to lead Brazil four years later in Mexico, where his team were beaten by France in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals.

He went on to coach an impressive Sao Paulo team in the early 1990s, winning the South American Libertadores Cup in successive years and going on to win the World Club Cup on both occasions.

He was in charge of Atletico Mineiro when they won the inaugural Brazilian championship in 1971, the only time Belo Horizonte's most popular club have been Brazilian champions.

Santana has also coached leading Brazilian clubs Fluminense, Flamengo, Palmeiras and Gremio.