João Havelange, World Football King and Ex-Fifa Legend, Dies Aged 100

08/17/2016 - 12h38

In October 2009 João Havelange savoured the last victory of his career. Dean of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), he was one of the real backing forces behind Rio's successful campaign to host the Olympics in 2016.

Arriving in Brazil, then aged 94, the ex-President of Fifa celebrated this victory with close friends and family.

His dream was to meet the 100-year old milestone in style, with a show-stopping party during the Olympic Games in Rio. He knew he did not have much longer to live; or indeed, that he would not have much reason to live after the Games.

On Tuesday morning (16), the twelfth day of the Olympic Games, Jean-Marie Faustin Goedefroid Havelange, died aged 100 in a hospital on the south side of Rio after contracting pneumonia.

His death certificate did not specify the cause of death.

The Rio-born son of Belgians made world sporting history when he took the reins at Fifa. His leadership coincided with the period in which football suddenly began being about the big bucks. It was a globalised and billion-dollar enterprise, and Havelange was at the front line, helping football take shape as the phenomenon we know it today.

Participants in the World Cup rocketed from 16 teams in 1978 to 32 teams from 1998 onwards.

Havelange liked to say that when he arrived, Fifa had less than US$20 in the company coffers and when he left, it had US$4 billion.

During his 24 years as Fifa head (1974-1998), he visited 186 countries and was received by presidents, kings and dictators.

He also became associated with a series of corruption scandals. The most famous of these was the ISL case (the former marketing department of Fifa, which went bust in 2001). The ISL was accused of bribing club managers for years.

In 2011, Havelange saw that he was falling out of favour. He kept one step ahead of his oppositors by resigning from the IOC before he could be prosecuted for his involvement in the ISL case.

In 2012 he was dealt another blow. A Swiss judge revealed that Havelange and Ricardo Teixeira, his ex-son-in-law and then President of the Brazilian Football Confederation, had received R$45 million (US$ 14 million) in bribes during the sale of the media rights for Fifa competitions.

In 2013, Havelange officially resigned from all his duties as honorary member of Fifa. Days later a report signed by Hans-Joachim Eckert, President of the Judiciary Chamber of the Fifa Ethics Committee, classified the conduct of Havelange in the ISL case as "reprehensible".

From then onwards, Havelange cut himself off from the world. He stopped attending events and even refused to participate in the opening of the Rio Games.

This Tuesday, the IOC refused to pay homage to the Brazilian sporting legend. The Olympic flag was not flown at half mast as is customary as a sign of respect to deceased committee members and leading lights.

The current President of Fifa, Gianni Infantino, said that "the whole football community should be grateful" for what the Brazilian had done for the sport.

Despite wielding no power abroad, Havelange did manage to maintain his titles in Brazil as honorary President of the Brazilian Football Confederation, of Fluminense football club and of the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB).

However, notwithstanding these honours, his name was removed from the Engenhão stadium which has been the location of the athletics at this Olympic tournament.

Translated by GILLIAN SOPHIE HARRIS

Read the article in the original language