Joao Havelange had been a member of the IOC since 1963 -- the longest serving in the organization.
Joao Havelange had been a member of the IOC since 1963 -- the longest serving in the organization.
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Former FIFA president Joao Havelange resigns from the IOC with immediate effect

Havelange was due to face an IOC ethics committee on Thursday

The 95-year-old Brazilian had been a member of the IOC since 1963

CNN  — 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have confirmed that former FIFA president Joao Havelange has resigned from his position within the organization with immediate effect.

In a one-line statement, released on Monday, the IOC said: “We can confirm that the IOC has received the resignation letter from Mr Joao Havelange as IOC member.”

The 95-year-old Havelange, who was the longest-serving member of the IOC having joined in 1963, was due to face an ethics committee this week regarding his involvement with FIFA’s former marketing agency ISL.

However, following his decision to quit, the ethic committee case against Havelange is expected to be dropped.

Two other high-profile IOC members, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president Lamine Diack, and Issa Hayatou – the president of the Confederation of African Football – will still have their cases considered by the IOC on Thursday.

International Sport and Leisure (ISL) owned the World Cup TV rights before going bankrupt in 2001 with debts of $300m.

Havelange is one of the most recognizable figures in sports administration, having served as FIFA president for 24 years between 1974 and 1998 before being replaced by Sepp Blatter.

Prior to FIFA, he served as president of the Brazilian Sports Confederation from 1958 to 1973.

In his younger days, Havelange competed for Brazil as a swimmer in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, and was also a member of the water polo team in the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games.