Joao Havelange leaves tainted FIFA legacy

For a man who spent many of his 100 years involved with the Olympic movement and Fifa, it is apt Joao Havelange’s sporting legacy is defined as much by scandal as it is unbridled expansionism.

Brazilian flags were at half-mast across the Olympics yesterday to honour the former Fifa president, who died in a Rio hospital aged 100.

A talented sportsman turned supremely powerful sports administrator, Havelange saw the International Olympic Committee and Fifa become bigger businesses and broader churches on his watch but, as of 2016, it is impossible to say he left either in good moral standing.