"23-year battle"

FIFA must compensate inventor of free-kick spray

FIFA will be asked to pay.(Bild: AFP)

After years of legal wrangling, the Brazilian inventor of the free-kick spray has prevailed against soccer's world governing body FIFA. The Supreme Court in Brazil rejected an appeal by FIFA on Tuesday and ordered the world governing body to compensate Heine Allemagne and his company Spuni Comércio de Produtos Esportivos for the misuse of his invention.

Allemagne invented the spray in 2000, which referees can use to mark the position of the free-kick wall and which then quickly dissolves again. The spray was used by the South American soccer association Conmebol from 2009 and was used for the first time at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Allemagne accused FIFA of misusing its patented product and demanded 40 million US dollars (37.05 million euros) in compensation.

David against Goliath
The actual amount of compensation was initially unclear. The entrepreneur's lawyers wanted to wait for the written judgment to be published before asserting their claims. "I have defeated FIFA in every respect," the entrepreneur told TV Globo after the verdict was announced. "It's the story of David and Goliath. FIFA is a giant, it was a 23-year battle. I am very proud. We have made history in world soccer."

His lawyer Larissa Teixeira was also satisfied with the verdict. "This is one of the cases we dream of as lawyers, because justice has really been done," she said. "This is a Brazilian inventor who has invented something that has really influenced soccer." FIFA was approached for comment.