João Havelange

Brazilian businessman and athlete (1916-2016)

Jean-Marie Faustin Goedefroid "João" de Havelange (May 8, 1916 – 16 August 2016) was a Brazilian association football administrator. He was the 7th President of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association).[1] He was elected to the position in 1974. He resigned in 1998, after 24 years in charge.[2]

João Havelange
João Havelange in 2010
7th President of FIFA
In office
1974–1998
Preceded byStanley Rous
Succeeded bySepp Blatter
Personal details
Born
Jean-Marie Faustin Goedefroid de Havelange

(1916-05-08)8 May 1916
Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Died16 August 2016 (age 100)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
NationalityBrazilian

He was elected as an honorary president of FIFA in 1998 after he left office. He resigned in 2013 due to "health and personal reasons".[3]

Havelange was a swimmer at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He was also part of the team that tied for 13th in water polo at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.[4]

Assessment

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Writing in June 1998, as Havelange was leaving FIFA, and before the eruption of most of the controversies surrounding him, The New York Times commented on Havelange's leadership:

"[Havelange] ran FIFA, as the world soccer federation is known, with a combination of autocratic rigidity and progressive reform. In 24 years as FIFA's president, Havelange was credited with building the Zurich-based organization from a fledgling operation in a private residence to a worldwide force that oversees a $250 billion-a-year international industry. With Blatter working by his side for 17 years and implementing his programs as FIFA's general secretary, Havelange increased the size of the World Cup from 16 to 32 teams, introduced a World Cup for women, gained a place for women's soccer in the Summer Olympics and built up marketing and television rights fees to the point that each of FIFA's 204 national federations will receive $1 million from the 1998 World Cup."[5] — 

Honors

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References

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  1. "FIFA Presidents". FIFA. Archived from the original on 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
  2. "Uefa chief backs Germany". BBC News. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
  3. "Joao Havelange, Fifa's honorary president, resigns over bribes". BBC News. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
  4. "João Havelange Bio". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18. Retrieved 2013-12-19.
  5. Longman, Jere (1998-06-09). "WORLD CUP '98; U.S. Ally Elected to Head World Soccer Body". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "João Havelange confirmed for Soccerex in Rio". Soccerex. Archived from the original on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2013-12-19.

Other websites

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  Media related to João Havelange at Wikimedia Commons