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70 years + 30 years: a double birthday for Blatter in a FIFA Centennial year.
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</TD></TR><TR><TD class=blacktext vAlign=top><DIV id=imageText>Sepp Blatter in 1975. </DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>The native of Valais in Switzerland joined FIFA at the age of 39 as a Development Programme Director (1975-1981). He would go on to become the architect of major commercial contracts and youth competitions. At that time, FIFA organised just the World Cup and the men's Olympic football tournament. Thirty years on, there are a dozen different events, three of them for women.</DIV></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=bottom><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=captionbox vAlign=top align=left>On 10 March 2006, Joseph S. Blatter celebrates his 70th birthday, 30 of which he has spent at FIFA. Recruited by the Brazilian João Havelange as a Development Programme Director (1975–1981), before becoming General Secretary (1981–1998), then President (1998 - present), Blatter has launched and organised numerous projects aimed at extending the influence of the world's number one sport, football.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
70 years + 30 years: a double birthday for Blatter in a FIFA Centennial year.
</TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD class=blacktext vAlign=top><DIV id=imageText>Sepp Blatter in 1975. </DIV><DIV></DIV><DIV>The native of Valais in Switzerland joined FIFA at the age of 39 as a Development Programme Director (1975-1981). He would go on to become the architect of major commercial contracts and youth competitions. At that time, FIFA organised just the World Cup and the men's Olympic football tournament. Thirty years on, there are a dozen different events, three of them for women.</DIV></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=bottom><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=captionbox vAlign=top align=left>On 10 March 2006, Joseph S. Blatter celebrates his 70th birthday, 30 of which he has spent at FIFA. Recruited by the Brazilian João Havelange as a Development Programme Director (1975–1981), before becoming General Secretary (1981–1998), then President (1998 - present), Blatter has launched and organised numerous projects aimed at extending the influence of the world's number one sport, football.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>