João Havelange

João Havelange was a powerful figure in global sports. He was a Brazilian lawyer and businessman. He also served as a high-ranking sports official. Most notably, he was the seventh president of FIFA. FIFA is the international governing body for association football. Havelange held this position from 1974 to 1998. This was the second longest presidency in FIFA's history.

Before leading FIFA, Havelange was an athlete. He was born on May 8, 1916, in Rio de Janeiro. His father immigrated to Brazil from Belgium. Havelange studied law at Fluminense Federal University. He graduated with a BA in law at age 24. He worked for several companies in Brazil. These included a bus company and a chemical firm. He also competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics as a swimmer. Later, he played water polo for Brazil in the 1952 Olympics.

Havelange changed how international sports were managed. In 1974, he defeated Stanley Rous to become FIFA president. He was the first non-European to hold the role. To win, he campaigned in 86 different countries. He often traveled with the famous footballer Pelé. Havelange promised to expand the World Cup. He wanted more developing nations to host tournaments. This strategy helped him gain support from many regions. He eventually grew the World Cup from 16 teams to 32 teams.

He also turned football into a massive commercial industry. Havelange understood the economic power of global tournaments. He worked with sports marketer Patrick Nally to find sponsors. He brought major brands like Coca-Cola and Adidas into FIFA. This created a new model for global sporting federations. The sale of television rights grew significantly under his leadership. In 1987, European rights for three World Cups sold for $440 million. Later, non-U.S. rights for tournaments starting in 1998 sold for $2.2 billion.

However, his leadership faced many serious criticisms. Some officials called his behavior undemocratic. He had a long feud with Pelé. This started after Pelé accused Havelange's son-in-law, Ricardo Teixeira, of corruption. In response, Havelange banned Pelé from the 1994 World Cup draw. Havelange also faced tension with European football leaders. This was because his expansion of the World Cup favored other regions. He was criticized for how he handled votes and committee appointments.

Reports later emerged regarding illegal financial activities. In 2012, a Swiss prosecutor's report was released. It stated that Havelange and Ricardo Teixeira took bribes. These payments totaled more than 41 million Swiss francs. The bribes were connected to World Cup marketing rights. A company called ISL also faced collapse after years of controversy. Investigators found that ISL paid large sums in "personal commissions" to officials. These were described by a judge as "schmiergeld," which means bribery.

Havelange was also a long-serving member of the International Olympic Committee. He served from 1963 until 2011. He was the longest-serving active member when he resigned. He received the title of honorary president when he left FIFA. He resigned from the IOC in 2011 due to health concerns. Havelange died on August 16, 2016, at the age of 100. His career shaped the modern business of global football.