The upcoming Rio 2016 Olympics is like a kiss between two globally famous institutions who are both immersed in a deep political crisis, Both the IOC and Brazil need the inspiration of hope that the other can convey to the world public, write associate professor Katia Rubio and international director Jens Sejer Andersen in this comment piece.

Focusing on the relations between João Havelange and the military regime in Brazil, this article elucidates how the longest serving president of FIFA rose to power.

Sunday 8 May 2016 marks the 100th birthday of one of the most impressive – and most troubling – figures in world sport, Brazilian João Havelange. We mark the day by publishing the story about how he rose to power in FIFA with the help of his country’s military dictatorship and a football icon named Pelé.

The Brazilian FA (CBF) and FIFA will come under scrutiny by a newly established investigatory commission.

The Brazilian authorities are now investigating the current FIVB President Ary Graça’s activities in his 17 years as head of Brazilian volleyball. ESPN has proven that Graça made secret contracts with family members and volleyball associates.

When most of the matches played during the recent World Cup are long forgotten, we should still remember and thank the Brazilians for having set a new international agenda in sport, writes Jens Sejer Andersen, international director of Play the Game.

It may be an overlooked reason for the protests in Brazil, that this World Cup has taken football away from its traditional audiences, says PhD candidate Guilherme Nothen in this comment piece.

The FIFA World Cup will influence Brazilian domestic and international politics, the ongoing crisis at FIFA and the wider future of sporting mega-events, writes author David Goldblatt in an exclusive piece for Play the Game.