Former FIFA
president Joao Havelange has died in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro at the age
of 100.
The
Brazilian was Sepp Blatter's predecessor at world football's governing body, serving
from 1974 to 1998.
He is widely
credited with redistributing some of FIFA's powers to developing nations by
expanding the World Cup from 16 to 32 teams, with six competitions held under
his tenure.
A law
graduate, businessman, and talented sportsman who represented Brazil in both swimming
and water polo, Havelange also helped bring international football into the
modern commercial era through corporate sponsorship and television rights.
He resigned
as FIFA's honorary president in April 2013 following an investigation into
bribery allegations and was admitted to hospital the following year with a lung
infection.
Havelange
was an also International Olympic Committee (IOC) member from 1963 until 2011,
resigning because of ill health.
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