Former FIFA president, IOC member João Havelange dies at age 100

Former FIFA president and IOC member João Havelange dies at age 100.

Former FIFA president João Havelange, who ran soccer's governing body for over two decades, died on Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro at age 100.

The Brazilian-born Havelange had reportedly been released from a local hospital in July.

Havelange led FIFA from 1974 to '98 and was the first non-European to head the organization. Havelange served six terms in office, helping the sport become a lucrative powerhouse, and he oversaw the World Cup tournament field expansion to include more nations. 

He was succeeded in the position by former president Sepp Blatter.

Havelange was the organization's honorary president until 2013, when reports surfaced that he took bribes in the International Sports and Leisure (ISL) sports marketing agency scandal. FIFA ethics court judge Joachim Eckert called Havelange's conduct "morally and ethically reproachable."

The Olympic Stadium at the Rio Summer Games is named in his honor and he was a member the International Olympic Committee for 48 years before resigning in 2011 in the wake of another investigation into his dealings with the ISL, which arose in response to accusations that he received a $1 million kickback.

– Scooby Axson