Blatter: I can't punish Havelange

FIFA chief says kickbacks were not illegal when former boss reigned

FIFA president Sepp Blatter insisted on Thursday that he did not have the power to punish former supremo Joao Havelange after the 96-year-old Brazilian was accused of taking bribes.

Court documents released in Switzerland revealed Havelange, FIFA president for 24 years before Blatter stepped into the hotseat in 1998, pocketed at least 1.5 million Swiss francs ($1,522,129) and FIFA executive committee member Ricardo Teixeira at least 12.74 million.