IOC Member Resigns Ahead Of Ethics Ruling

João Havelange has resigned from the International Olympic Committee, days before facing a potential suspension from the governing body over a decade-old scandal, dating back to his days as president of FIFA.

Havelange served as FIFA president for 24 years before being succeeded by current leader Sepp Blatter in 1998, and remains honorary president of FIFA.

95-year-old Havelange submitted his letter of resignation on Thursday and, according to the Associated Press, comes less than a week before the IOC’s ethics commission was reportedly set to recommend heavy sanctions, relating to a case involving FIFA’s former marketing agency, ISL.

Media reports indicate that a possible two-year suspension, or even expulsion was expected to be considered at Thursday’s IOC executive board meeting in Lausanne.

However, with his resignation, the ethics case against Havelange is now expected to be dropped.

A documentary last year from BBC’s Panorama looked into kickbacks allegedly paid by ISL, which owned World Cup television rights and collapsed with debts of $300 million (£192m) in 2001.

The programme alleged that Havelange took a $1m payment from ISL.

The ISL case was the subject of a Swiss criminal trial in 2008, with officials repaying $6.1m (£3.9m) in kickbacks.

FIFA blocked the court in Zug from revealing which officials repaid the money, who only paid on the condition that their identities remained anonymous.

Havelange is the IOC’s longest-serving member with 48 years of service, having joined in 1963.

Sepp Blatter, also an IOC member, said in October that FIFA’s executive committee would reopen the ISL dossier at a meeting in Tokyo on 16th December, as part of its drive toward transparency in the organisation and zero tolerance of corruption.