Havelange resigns from IOC

London - Former FIFA president Joao Havelange has resigned from the International Olympic Committee days before an ethics hearing into his conduct, the BBC reported.

FIFA president from 1974-98 when he was replaced by Sepp Blatter, Havelange was under IOC investigation for his links with FIFA's former marketing agency International Sport and Leisure (ISL).

ISL went bankrupt in 2001 with debts of around $300m. A BBC Panorama television programme alleged in 2010 that Havelange accepted money from ISL for granting lucrative World Cup contracts.

The 95-year-old Brazilian is the IOC's longest-serving member, having joined in 1963. With his resignation the ethics case against Havelange was likely to be dropped, the BBC reported on Sunday.