João Havelange

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). He was elected to the position in 1974. He resigned in 1998, after 24 years in charge.

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".

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.

 Assessment 
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."

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Honours
 Cavalier of The Légion D'honneur
 Order of Special Merit in Sports
 Commander of The Cavaliers of the Order of Infante D. Henrique
 Cavalier of The Order of Vasa
 Grand Cross of Elizabeth The Catholic

References

Other websites

Category:1916 births
Category:2016 deaths
Category:Competitors at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Category:1952 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympians for Brazil
Category:Brazilian centenarians
Category:Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro
Category:Presidents of FIFA
Category:Swimmers
Category:Brazilian water polo players