Ex-FIFA chief named in bribing scandal

A former FIFA president has been implicated in a major bribery scandal. It is embarrassing for FIFA, which has been implicated in a series of corruption scandals recently. Former FIFA President Joao Havelange and his former son-in-law Ricardo Teixeira accepted bribes worth millions in World Cup deals, court documents released in Switzerland on Wednesday showed. The 96-year-old Brazilian national Havelange, who presided over FIFA for 24 years until 1998, received at least 1.5 million Swiss francs (1.24 million euros, $1.52 million). Teixeira pocketed at least 12.74 million francs as well, courtesy of International Sport and Leisure (ISL), FIFA's former marketing company, which went under in 2001, crippled by debts. The case in question dates back to the 1990's. FIFA published the Swiss court's report on its website and in a statement football's global governing body emphasized that while Havelange and Teixeira were identified, the current FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, was not. "The decision of the Swiss Federal Court also confirms that only two foreign officials will be named as part of the process and that...the FIFA president is not involved in the case," the statement read. The court documents did however detail that FIFA chiefs were fully aware that Havelange and Teixeira had been given bribes by the ISL. Havelange is still FIFA's honorary president. He has been a huge influence in international sport, and has been credited with helping Rio de Janeiro to secure the 2016 Olympics. The revelations are embarrassing for FIFA, which has been plagued by a catalogue of corruption scandals in recent years, prompting the departure of five members of its executive committee, including Teixeira.