Ex-Fifa chief Havelange ‘seriously ill’

Former Fifa president and IOC member Joao Havelange is in hospital in serious condition, it emerged yesterday.

The Samaritano Hospital in Rio de Janeiro released a statement saying the 95-year-old Havelange is undergoing treatment for an infection. He was admitted late on Sunday night.

“His condition is serious and requires close attention,” said the statement signed by doctor Joao Mansur Filho. Late last year, Havelange resigned from the International Olympic Committee citing undisclosed health reasons. The resignation came while he faced a possible suspension for allegedly taking kickbacks from former Fifa marketing partner ISL in the 1990s.

Havelange, who will turn 96 in May, presided over Fifa from 1974-98, when he was replaced by current president Sepp Blatter. He remains Fifa’s honorary president.

Havelange joined the IOC in 1963 and was its oldest member until resigning. A former Olympic swimmer and water polo player, Havelange is credited by many for growing football into a global game. Under his watch, Fifa grew from a small organisation with a staff of about a dozen to a powerful and vigorous enterprise. He expanded the World Cup from 16 to 32 teams and helped the competition become one of the most important and lucrative sporting events in the world.