Havelange hospitalized in Brazil in serious state

Posted Tuesday, March 20, 2012 by YAHOO Sport

Former FIFA president and IOC member Joao Havelange is in serious condition while undergoing treatment for an infection, a Brazilian hospital said Monday.

The Samaritano Hospital in Rio de Janeiro released a statement with the news Monday after the 95-year-old Havelange was admitted late Sunday night.

“His condition is serious and requires close attention,” said the statement signed by doctor Joao Mansur Filho.

No other details were released.

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.

The Brazilian has been out of the spotlight since leaving the IOC in December, just three days before the IOC’s executive board was preparing to rule on claims that Havelange took a $1 million kickback from World Cup marketing deals while FIFA president.

The case was closed after his resignation, and Havelange avoided punishment that could have been a suspension or even expulsion. Havelange joined the IOC in 1963 and was its oldest member until resigning.

A former Olympic swimmer and water polo player, Havelange served as FIFA president for 24 years and is credited by many for growing football into a global game. Under his watch, FIFA grew from a small organization with a staff of about a dozen to a powerful and vigorous enterprise administering the multibillion-dollar sport worldwide.

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. He organized six World Cups as FIFA president.

Havelange also presided over the Brazilian Football Confederation for nearly two decades, including the period spanning Brazil’s first three World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970.