FIFA paid tribute to the former director general of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Francois Carrard, who passed away at the age of 83.
According to FIFA, Carrard led the IOC administration for 14 years, playing a key role in reshaping and reforming the organisation during his tenure, which ran from 1989 until 2003.
Following his work, at the IOC he headed FIFA's independent reform committee and was chairman of the Reform Task Force - upon which FIFA President Gianni Infantino also sat before being elected president the following year.
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Francois Carrard," President Infantino said on Monday.
"Mr Carrard was a man with the utmost integrity and a unique ability to unite, no matter how testing the circumstances," he added.
According to FIFA, during a legal career that spanned more than four decades, Carrard built a reputation as one of the most widely-respected sports administrators in Switzerland. This led to his appointment as Chairman of the FIFA Reform Task Force in 2015.
FIFA President Infantino continued: "I would like to take this opportunity to pay my respects to him and send my condolences to his family, friends and all those close to him."
( With inputs from ANI )
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