João Havelange, who died at the age of 100, was president of FIFA from '74-98; in that time, "he oversaw the transformation of the planet’s favourite pastime" into one of the "wealthiest industries" in the world, according to the London TELEGRAPH. Even his detractors -- "of which Havelange came to have many" -- admitted that he successfully modernized the administration of a sport that was "nearly moribund when he ousted his predecessor," English former referee Stanley Rous. Havelange's "coup was mounted" with the backing of FIFA's African, Asian and North American delegates, a deal that "led directly to the doubling of World Cup finalists" from 16 in '74 to 32 by '02. Whether this made for a better tournament "was debatable, but it certainly made the game more global" -- as did many of Havelange’s other initiatives, "including his championing of women’s and youth competitions;" of funding for development of the game in the world’s poorer regions; and of the return of China to the sport’s fold. In '88 Havelange was "even nominated for the Nobel Peace prize" by the Swiss government. His "principal contribution to football, however," was to realize its potential for commercial exploitation. Under Rous, FIFA's revenues "had started to increase substantially," but during Havelange’s "autocratic" reign its income "was to be of an entirely different order." Since all in football seemed to benefit from this, "it was not until after his retirement that the secretive and allegedly corrupt manner in which Havelange had arranged matters came to be questioned" (TELEGRAPH, 8/16). In London, Ahmed, Sugden & Tomlinson reported Havelange's legacy "became tainted late in his life when details emerged" of his complicity in a $100M bribery scandal that engulfed FIFA. As "pressure built" over the running of FIFA by Sepp Blatter, his successor, accusations of corruption "caught up with Havelange." In '13 he resigned as honorary FIFA president following the publication of an internal ethics report that "linked him to the affair." The report detailed how Havelange and Ricardo Teixeira, his former son-in-law and former head of the Brazilian FA, had taken bribes from ISL, a sports marketing agency, describing their conduct as "morally and ethically reproachable" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 8/16). The BBC reported as well as swimming at the 1936 Olympics, Havelange was part of the Brazilian water polo team at the 1952 Helsinki Games and was chef de mission for the Brazilian delegation at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. It was "as a sports administrator, particularly in football, that Havelange made his mark." He embarked on a career "which began as president of the Metropolitan Swimming Federation in Brazil." He also became a member of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and joined the Int'l Cycling Union (UCI) in '58. An "imposing figure, with piercing blue eyes, his astuteness as a politician and his adeptness at retaining power" enabled him to hold the FIFA presidency for 24 years (BBC, 8/16).
GUILT BY ASSOCIATION: The AP reported three of FIFA's most "notorious" officials -- his son-in-law Teixeira, Chuck Blazer and Jack Warner -- joined FIFA's exec committee during Havelange's presidency. All three were "subsequently swept up in corruption investigations by Swiss and U.S. authorities last year" that also brought the end of Blatter's 17-year presidency. Teixeira and Warner "have denied any wrongdoing while Blazer pleaded guilty to charges of bribery, money laundering and tax evasion" and was banned from all football-related activity for life in '15 (AP, 8/16). BLOOMBERG's Cone & Panja reported membership in FIFA increased from 139 national associations in '75 to more than 200, "while several competitions were added" including U17 and U20 world championships. A women’s int'l tournament was also established. By attracting global sponsors such as adidas and Coca-Cola and increasing the value of TV rights for the World Cup, Havelange "was able to expand the game beyond its traditional strongholds of Europe and South America." Havelange served as FIFA president longer than any of his predecessors except Frenchman Jules Rimet, considered the "Father of the World Cup" for his leadership in establishing the tournament. He ran the organization from '21-54 (BLOOMBERG, 8/16).
POWERFUL MAN: In Washington, D.C., Matt Schudel reported Havelange "parlayed his success in Brazil" into an int'l campaign for the presidency of FIFA, previously a closed club "controlled by the sport’s European powers." He visited 86 countries, often with Pelé at his side, developing a "power base" among football federations in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Fluent in Portuguese, French and Spanish, "he spoke English in private but never in public, which contributed to his mystique of unassailable strength." He "rarely consented to interviews in any language." Perhaps "the most dramatic sign" of Havelange's worldwide reach was that, "under his reign, FIFA grew to include more member countries than the United Nations." Former U.S. Soccer Federation General Secretary Hank Steinbrecher said in '94, "Without a doubt, he's the most powerful man in sports. Havelange is accorded more diplomatic entree than any head of state" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/16). In London, Tom Peck wrote it is "nothing if not fitting that the Godfather of sporting corruption should die at at the age of 100," while the Olympic Games takes place in a stadium that, "to spare embarrassment, temporarily does not bear his name." You might say he was "a visionary." It was Havelange who "saw first that the faster, higher and stronger ideals pursued by talented and dedicated amateurs" were the perfect vehicle through which others concerned with "less lofty pursuits could get fatter, richer and more powerful." And if it were Havelange who "elevated football into the world of the business class lounge and the private jet, it was those that came after him," specifically Blatter, who flew it "too close to the sun" (INDEPENDENT, 8/16).
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ...
PECK wrote in the INDEPENDENT, Havelange was a "would-be statesman who positioned himself at the crossroads of high sport and high finance then diverted the lot to his own account. ... It was he who signed sport’s first deal with the devil. Having become President of Fifa in 1974, first via the Brazilian Swimming Federation and later the International Olympic Committee, it was he who pioneered the mega contracts signed between football and Coca-Cola and adidas" (INDEPENDENT, 8/16).
University of Brighton professor ALAN TOMLINSON, who co-wrote two books on FIFA's politics, said, "If you're a football person, only concerned about the game on the field, you'll remember him as somebody who extended the world game. But part of his legacy will be as someone who was a fearsome dictator, with no accountability, and not concerned with ideals his organization expressed" (BLOOMBERG, 8/16).
BLATTER: "He had one idea in his head, to make football a global game with his slogan 'Football is the universal language,' and he succeeded" (BBC, 8/16).
Current FIFA President GIANNI INFANTINO: "During his 24 years as FIFA president football became truly global, reaching new territories and bringing the game to all corners of the world. Something the whole football community should be grateful for. I extend my condolences to his family" (PA, 8/16).
ESPN's TIM VICKERY wrote, "Havelange's projects needed to be bankrolled and it was here that the big sponsors came in. And there was also an undeniable and massive increase in corruption, a sub-product of the success of the game and the sums it was generating" (ESPN, 8/16).
