As Brazilians and as Africans, who have lived in Brazil, ComAfrica's membership is proud of the role Dr. João Havelange, an illustrious Brazilian, played in the elimination of Apartheid in the football fields.
João Havelange, a Brazilian, Honorary President of FIFA

ComAfrica.org considers the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa as the opportunity for deepening mutual knowledge between the peoples of Brazil and South Africa, and for their rapprochement.

	At a meeting with ComAfrica Institute in Rio de Janeiro on the 13 September 2007, Dr. João Havelange has remembered aspects of Brazilian-African solidarity that are part of the history of football and highlighted the prospects for sports in uniting peoples.
João Havelange - Comáfrica - Working Meeting (Dr. S. Blajberg, 1st from right and Dr. Jennifer Dunjwa Blajberg, 2nd from right. Prof. Antonio Carlos Ferrão, 1st from left and Att. Jorge Carlos da Silva, 2nd from left).

In 2009, when South Africa will host the FIFA Confederations Cup, the first anti-apartheid demonstration held in Brazil will complete its 50th anniversary.

It is a historical fact that the first successful form of international antiapartheid boycott was the sports boycott, and the latter was strengthened by events that took place almost half a century ago bringing together Brazilians and South Africans.¹

Significantly, today, football is a formidable medium for uniting peoples, promoting self-esteem and social inclusion, and, last but not least, fighting racism.

The achievements of João Havelange, both in Brazil and throughout the world, during almost half a century, in the accomplishment of such a transformation of football, represent for us an example of citizen's diplomacy.²

Brazilian and South African Civil Society initiatives in the field of sports, more especially football, are an ideal field of play for promoting cultural exchange and to support children and youth of both countries in achieving their full potential.

The leadership of João Havelange as President of FIFA (1974-1998) represented a new era for world football. An international non-governmental organisation, the outreach of FIFA has ever since been extended worldwide, not only within the framework of sports, but also in the social and commercial spheres.

It is to be noted that social responsibility and the engagement for a better world are on the agenda of FIFA

In 1976 the South African Football Association was expelled from FIFA due to its apartheid practices. The unification of South African football along non-racial lines led to the readmission into FIFA in 1992. In October 2003 the former South African President Nelson Mandela acknowledged the contributions of the then FIFA President João Havelange and of his then Secretary and now current President Joseph Blatter by saying that “Both raised a strong voice against racism when many were still hesitant”³

Football has in more than one facet expanded towards entire regions embracing their populations. With more than 200 million active players, football unites the peoples.

The words by Dr. João Havelange at that meeting in which historical trajectories of the Brazilian and South African peoples and those of Sports in Social Integration and Cooperation amongst Peoples were retrospectively and prospectively examined, constitute guidelines for our project of reconstructing international cooperation by retrieving the heritage of solidarity, providing for the dissemination of information and for the revitalisation of public spaces. ComAfrica Institute is proud to register them, both for the present and future generations of sportspeople – players, enthusiasts or amateurs and fans.

Comafrica: : Football today unites peoples, promoting self-esteem, social inclusion, and even more, its field of play is also that of combating racism. You, who had immensely contributed with your work towards that, surely will remember that almost a half a century ago the first antiapartheid demonstration in Brazil was motivated by the fact that Brazilian players of Portuguesa Santista were victimised by apartheid in 1959.

You were already leading Brazilian football, World Champion of 1958. Could you at that time imagine that football could play such a role towards a better world?

João Havelange: : I remember, that in 1959, the Portuguesa Santista team had matches to play in Africa and on that occasion, upon arriving to fulfil the commitment it had undertaken, that Club, affiliated with the Football Federation of the State of São Paulo and with the Brazilian Sports Confederation [Confederação Brasileira de Desportos (CBD)], which I had the honour to serve as President, was prevented from disembarking in South Africa, because it had Black men in their team.

Having been born in Brazil, a multiracial country in which we learn from the most tender age to respect issues of racial, religious and cultural diversity, that decision by the South African Football Federation shocked me deeply and I instructed that team from the State of São Paulo, to immediately return to Brazil.

In my capacity of President of CBD, the Confederation in charge of conducting football affairs in Brazil, I made known to that South African entity and also to the sports officials in that country, that while "apartheid" existed, CBD would not allow any team of any sport affiliated with CBD to compete in South Africa.

	That decision was only changed with the coming of Nelson Mandela as President of that country, whom, as, President of FIFA, I came to pay my respects and render my homage, thus demonstrating what the elimination of apartheid in South Africa represented for me, for my country and for world football.
Citizen's diplomacy – 20th Century João Havelange, then President of FIFA, and his Secretary General Sepp Blatter, with Nelson Mandela, leader of the African National Congress, subsequent to his release in 1990, and Sam Ramsamy then President of the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee.

Comafrica: You are always remembered as a great encourager of the development of football on the African continent. What led you, as a Brazilian, to have such a feeling of attachment to Africa and which obstacles did you meet and overcome in order to carry forward such greater inclusion of Africa in world football?

	João Havelange: As stated above, I was born in Brazil at the beginning of the 20th Century, and since my childhood I have learnt from my parents that respect for people did not represent an obligation, but rather a duty, and with such upbringing I know that in our country, the word respect is of capital importance in peoples relationships, specially with other races from other Continents. With such feeling, I became President of FIFA and did everything, working and campaigning for Africa to have a path opened by sports; hence, the inclusion of Africa, via football, and of the whole of Asia became a matter of respect, and, as such, a reality.
Citizen's diplomacy – 21st Century Left to right: César A Braga (João Havelange Institute); Prof. Antonio Carlos Ferrão, ComAfrica (Member of Consultative Council), Dr. João Havelange, Honorary President of FIFA; Dr. Jennifer Dunjwa Blajberg, ComAfrica (Africanist, President); Dr. Salomon Blajberg, ComAfrica (Pol. Scientist, Director).

Comafrica: Dr. João, both in Brazil and in South Africa there are various initiatives stemming from civil society directed at children and youth achieving their full potential through sports, particularly football.

How do you evaluate the possibility of increasing cultural exchange amongst such initiatives, even more in view of the fact that the 2010 FIFA World Cup presents the opportunity for deepening the mutual knowledge between our peoples and for their rapprochement?

João Havelange: If we should have respect towards adults, the greater is our duty towards the youth, therefore,, upon arriving at FIFA, in 1974, after 3 years of an intense work, we achieved the holding of the First World Cup for 17 year-old Youth. Such opening took place precisely in Africa (Tunisia), in 1977, and it scored great success.

The continuity of that work carried out by FIFA with the young people, mainly in Africa, has been a determination of the entity to the benefit of its development and for the intertwining with other Continents.

	Comafrica: At the FIFA website one reads that your installation in FIFA's headquarters heralded the dawn of a New Era, and your intense diplomatic activity is also highlighted there. 4 It is undeniable that under your leadership and inspiration the organisation and its administrative cadres as well as the sports masses of players, enthusiasts or amateurs and fans, sought, through football, to contribute towards a better world. It has also been during your presidency that the motto of fair-play received unconditional support. Which arguments occurred to you when promoting such a perspective in sport, in this case football, towards integration of sports masses? Which risks did you perceive in the unfolding of FIFA' success to carry on such a true citizen's diplomacy and such a campaign for recovering ethics in sports?
João Havelange - ComAfrica - Working Meeting –(Dr. S. Blajberg , Dr. Jennifer Dunjwa Blajberg, and Dr. Flávio W.Lara Prof. Antonio Carlos Ferrão, Att. Jorge Carlos da Silva and César A. Braga (João Havelange Institute)

João Havelange: Thirty-five years have passed since my arrival at FIFA, as President, and undoubtedly, what I was most obsessed with – as regards development – was to work with the youth, by means of football. It was what we did, mainly in Africa, and today we feel rewarded by the success which resulted from that task, showing us that through football we can reach the youth and bring them a greater good, that is their development, the respect by other races and peoples, as well as an important evolution within the world we live in.

João Havelange: Football individually leads the young person to learn to be correct, loyal, respecting and makes him/her know the importance of Fair Play. That way of acting was one of the facets of FIFA's work, through its Commissions, throughout the African Continent, favouring a disadvantaged youth, who today demonstrates, with their dedication and effort, their grandeur and respectability.

Comafrica: More than hundred years ago Brazil and South Africa had their first football match – those were teams marked by the exclusive presence of white people.

As we remembered at the beginning of this interview, football brought Brazilians and South Africans to demonstrate in no uncertain terms against apartheid in sports contributing towards a worldwide sports boycott to that regime.

Today, the peoples of Brazil and South Africa have many things in common in their quest for a better world, and there is no doubt that football brings our peoples closer together. There are teams in South Africa bearing the names of Brazilian clubs such as Vasco, Santos, and even a team fondly called The Brazilians. A Brazilian World Champion coach, who started his career in Ghana, is today preparing the home team, Bafana Bafana, for the 2010 World Cup.

What is your view on how the Brazilian people can contribute to add even more to the brilliance and success of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and further, of a 2014 World Cup in Brazil, by also bringing forward a legacy of contributions towards sports and social development?

João Havelange: Without any doubt, in view of their skills and training, sportspeople from South Africa and from Brazil have much in common, since they have learnt first of all to respect the principles of life, and with that, to respect their adversaries.

Within a few more years, we shall be witnessing in South Africa, the holding of the First Football World Cup on the African Continent, which shall be a milestone, an example and shall set a standard for work, organization and dignity. It is with pride that Brazil, represented by her players, shall associate with that great country that is South Africa, at the moment of inauguration of that sporting event.

We are sure that there will be a standing ovation by the whole of the sports world for that competition, as we foresee it will be a great success.

	To conclude, I have just one thought and one wish – to be able, to my pride and happiness, to attend the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which will be a triumphant milestone for world football.
João Havelange, Brazil, President of FIFA, 1974 -1998. Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa, as member of Delegation of the South African Candidacy to host World Cup 2010, celebrates in 2004 the choice of his country to host the tournament.