Former FIFA president Joao Havelange hospitalised

Former FIFA president Joao Havelange has been hospitalised in Brazil after suffering from reported respiratory problems.

The 99-year-old is being treated at the Hospital Samaritano in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro and is in a stable condition.

Havelange, a former lawyer, served as the FIFA president for 24 years between 1974 and 1998, when he was succeeded by Sepp Blatter.

He continued to serve as the honorary president at the world’s governing body until he stepped down in 2013 following an ethics committee investigation which found he had been “morally and ethically reproachable” for receiving payments relating to World Cup rights during the 1990s.

His son in law is Ricardo Teixeira, who was president of the Brazilian Football Confederation from 1989 to 2012, when he resigned amid criticism of his role in the same corruption case.

Havelange also had a spell in hospital in June last year when he suffered from a lung infection.