For the Good of the Game
Biography of Dr João Havelange
FIFA President
Dr João Havelange, President of soccer’s world international governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), is one of the world’s most respected sportsmen. Originally elected President of FIFA as successor to Sir Stanley Rous in 1974 (the seventh in the history of the world federation), Dr Havelange has guided FIFA to worldwide stature using his business skills to create a successful partnership between sponsorship and football (soccer).
Among the great accomplishments during Dr Havelange’s leadership of FIFA have been the increase of teams in the World Cup final competition from 16 to 24 (as from 1982) and, as from France 1998, 32 teams, the creation of the FIFA World Youth Championships in 1977 (for players under 20 years old), the Under-17 Championship in 1985, the development of world competitions for indoor football (futsal) and women’s football. He initiated the construction of FIFA’s modern headquarters in Zurich and paved the way for the reintegration of the People’s Republic of China into the world football movement. In the seventies he established development programmes on several levels for third world football countries, thereby starting a constructive north-south dialogue which still continues. The good results ac- complished by African and Asian teams at the past World Cups are the positive consequences of those efforts.
Reelected to his sixth term as FIFA President at the FIFA Congress in Chicago (USA) on 16 June, 1994, Dr Havelange announced in December 1997 that he will not stand for reelection at the 1998 Congress. For the remaining years, he has embarked on yet another ambitious programme. One is a foundation for the benefit of young footballers from underprivileged circles. Another is a documentation centre, incorporating a video library and other material on world football and FIFA, which will be built next to the FIFA offices in Zurich. A chair will be installed at Neuchâtel University (Switzerland) for the study of the financial, social and overall economic implications of football. Finally, the communications system among the FIFA headquarters in Zurich and the associations and confederations will be completely modernised with state-of-the-art technology.
Dr Havelange has spent most of his life in sports, both as a participant and as an executive. He competed twice in the Olympic Games, making his debut as a swimmer for his native Brazil in 1936. He later competed as a member of Brazil’s water polo team in 1952 and was a leader of the Brazilian delegation to the 1956 Melbourne games.
Dr Havelange was elected president of the Confederaçao Brasileira de Desportos (CBD) in 1958 and served in that important role until his election as FIFA President in 1974. During his tenure with the CBD, Brazil won the World Cup three times (1958, 1962 and 1970). He has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1963 and has been instrumental in establishing soccer as one of the most successful disciplines in the Olympic Games. It is thanks to his initiative that women’s football was made a medal sport as from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Born on May 8, 1916 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), João Havelange holds a doctorate in Law. He is the President of COMETA S.A., a leading Brazilian bus company and is a director of companies in the insurance and chemical industries as well as a director of several schools.
Dr Havelange has been the recipient of numerous awards for his services to sports. Among them are the Cavalier of the Legion d’Honneur (France), the Order of Special Merit in Sports (Brazil), the Commander of the Cavaliers of the Orden Infante Dome Henrique (Portugal), the Cavalier of the Vasa Orden (Sweden) and the Grand Cross of Elizabeth the Catholic (Spain). In 1988 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. A man who enjoys a daily regimen of jogging and swimming, Dr Havelange lives in Rio de Janeiro with his family.