The inventor of the Russia World Cup 's revolutionary vanishing free kick spray claims he has been left destitute, debt-ridden and having to work as a farmhand to survive after FIFA backed out of a multi-million pound deal, then stole his idea.
Brazilian Heine Allemagne's foam, which keeps the defenders' wall 10 yards away and disappears after 60 seconds, was first introduced to the world at the last World Cup in Brazil in and proved a huge hit.
It has since become a permanent fixture in football after being adopted by the biggest leagues in the world, including the Premier League , and is being used by referees during this year's tournament in Russia. Heine Allemagne, the inventor of Russia World Cup's revolutionary vanishing free kick spray, pictured with the trophy four years ago, claims he has been debt-ridden and having to work on a farm after FIFA backed out of a multi-million pound deal, then stole his idea.
But just months later, Mr Allemagne claims FIFA simply 'pretended they'd never heard of me' then started licensing other companies to manufacture 'pirate' versions of the spray, for which Heine possesses the only registered global patent. As he continued to fight them in the courts he fell into a spiral of debt, he claimed. MailOnline tracked down Mr Allemagne to a remote coffee plantation in the hills of Brazil's Minas Gerais state, where he now earns a meagre living doing manual work such as digging trenches with a hoe and planting and picking coffee by hand.
Mr Allemagne, who moved to the acre farm with his wife Andreia after being unable to find work in his hometown, said seeing his invention being used by referees in World Cup games this time around made him feel 'empty'. He said: 'I was at the opening game in Brazil, and at the final, feeling so much pride that I had made such an impact on football. I had taken my spray to the top of the world. But today that has all gone.
