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Joao Havelange, FIFA president and world power broker in soccer, dies at 100
Source: Washington Post
Joao Havelange, FIFA president and world power broker in soccer, dies at 100
By Matt Schudel August 16 at 9:48 AM
Joao Havelange, a Brazilian businessman and former Olympic athlete, was one of the most influential figures in sports from the 1970s through the 1990s as president of FIFA, the international governing body of soccer.
Ruling over his empire like a monarch, he introduced lucrative sponsorship and broadcasting deals that made soccer a global industry and brought immense wealth to FIFA and to the president’s inner circle.
By the time Mr. Havelange’s reign as FIFA president ended in 1998, soccer was unrivaled in its international popularity, and the quadrennial World Cup was eagerly followed on television by billions of spectators.
Despite such successes, Mr. Havelange was considered the architect of a climate of high-level corruption that tainted soccer for decades and eventually forced his successor and protege, Sepp Blatter, from power.
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By Matt Schudel August 16 at 9:48 AM
Joao Havelange, a Brazilian businessman and former Olympic athlete, was one of the most influential figures in sports from the 1970s through the 1990s as president of FIFA, the international governing body of soccer.
Ruling over his empire like a monarch, he introduced lucrative sponsorship and broadcasting deals that made soccer a global industry and brought immense wealth to FIFA and to the president’s inner circle.
By the time Mr. Havelange’s reign as FIFA president ended in 1998, soccer was unrivaled in its international popularity, and the quadrennial World Cup was eagerly followed on television by billions of spectators.
Despite such successes, Mr. Havelange was considered the architect of a climate of high-level corruption that tainted soccer for decades and eventually forced his successor and protege, Sepp Blatter, from power.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/joao-havelange-fifa-president-and-world-power-broker-in-soccer-dies-at-100/2016/08/16/5b75e2a4-63b6-11e6-8b27-bb8ba39497a2_story.html
