Joao Havelange has received at least 1.5 million Swiss francs in bribes from ISL

Former FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association, English: International Federation of Association Football) president Joao Havelange received large sums of money as bribes from International Sport and Leisure (ISL), a Swiss based company that had exclusive marketing rights to several editions of the World Cup, according to Swiss judicial documents.

The 96-year-old Brazilian, president of FIFA for 24 years before passing the helm of FIFA to Sepp Blatter in 1998, received at least 1.5 million Swiss francs ($1.52 million), and another famous official, Ricardo Teixeira, FIFA Executive Committee member, received at least 12.7 million Swiss francs ($12.88 million). These large amounts are detailed in documents made public by the Supreme Court of Switzerland and were made public Wednesday by the BBC.

FIFA’s former marketing partner, International Sport and Leisure, went bankrupt in controversial circumstances in May 2001, when it had debts of $300 million. The Swiss Justice report was posted on FIFA official website, stressing that the current president of the organization, Sepp Blatter, has no involvement in this case. Court documents show that FIFA officials knew that Havelange and Teixeira received bribes from ISL. Sepp Blatter says he knew about the payments which were legal at that time.

Also, FIFA had agreed to pay compensation of 2.5 million Swiss francs under the condition for the Swiss Court to stop the proceedings against Havelange and Teixeira.

Havelange, who is honorary president of FIFA, has been a member of the International Olympic Committee for 48 years. He was accused in a 2010 BBC documentary of receiving one million dollars from ISL to grant it favorable contracts related to the World Cup. Joao Havelange was released from a hospital in Rio de Janeiro in May, after two months, during which he was treated for an ankle infection and heart and lung problems. He is the ex father-in-law of Teixeira, who resigned in March as president of the Brazilian Football Confederation following allegations of corruption.