The Samaritano hospital spokesman revealed that Havelange was admitted Wednesday (June 4) and was expected to be released again shortly.

The World Cup is due to start in São Paulo next Thursday (June 12) with a match between hosts Brazil and Croatia.

Havelange, who led FIFA from 1974 to 1998 until he was replaced by Sepp Blatter, spent two months in the same hospital in 2012 with a serious ankle infection and heart and respiratory problems.

In December 2011, the former Olympic swimmer and water polo player stood down as a member of the International Olympic Committee, which he had served from 1963, shortly before he was to face allegations of corruption.

Havelange was investigated over the collapse of FIFA's former sports marketing agency ISL, which went bankrupt in 2001 with debts of some $300 million (£178 million/€216 million).

He stood accused of receiving money from the agency for granting lucrative World Cup broadcasting contracts.

Havelange's former son-in-law, Ricardo Teixeira, 64, stood down as head of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) in 2012 amid corruption allegations.

FIFA's Ethics Committee found that Havelange received at least $1 million (£600,000/€730,000) in "commissions".

Havelange, who competed for Brazil as a swimmer at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and in waterpolo at Helsinki 1952, played a key role in the modernisation of football administration and turning the sport in a lucrative industry.

He was alsoan influential member of the Rio de Janeiro bid team which won the right to stage the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics, the first to be staged in South America.

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