(CNN) -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been cleared of any misconduct by an internal investigation into the bribery scandal that threatened to drag football's world governing body into terminal crisis. But his predecessor, Brazilian Joao Havelange, has now resigned as FIFA's honorary president for his part in the scandal. Havelange and former executive committee members Ricardo Teixeira and Dr. Nicolas Leoz were all found to have accepted illegal payments from FIFA's former marketing partner International Sports and Leisure (ISL). The payments were made between 1992 and May 2000 -- ISL went bankrupt the following year. FIFA's Ethics Committee -- set up by Blatter after the corruption scandal was investigated by the Swiss authorities last year -- said it would not take any further action, adding the case was now closed.
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FIFA president Sepp Blatter is cleared of misconduct by internal investigation into bribery
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Predecessor Joao Havelange resigns as honorary president of soccer's ruling body
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Havelange took payments from FIFA's former marketing partner ISL between 1992 and 2000
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FIFA's Ethics Committee says no further action is planned
Blatter claimed in 2012 that he did know about alleged bribe payments made to former @placeholder executives, but insisted he didn't think they were illegal.