Ray Whelan, executive consultant of Match Services - a subsidiary of the company that provides tickets, hospitality and accommodation services for FIFA - was wrongly accused of selling VIP World Cup tickets at inflated prices.

Having spent 24 days in Brazil's notorious Bangu prison, the Briton was released on bail in August 2014 and allowed home three months later with Match guaranteeing his return for any possible trial.

Whelan was cleared of all charges in February 2015 and in September of this year, the highest Federal court in Brazil officially closed matters in his favour.

It was not until now, however, that the time had passed for any further appeals.

A statement issued by the Byrom Group of companies, including Match Services and Match Hospitality, confirmed the case against Whelan has been "officially closed  in its entirety".

Byrom remain frustrated and angry at the way he was treated by police and prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro.

The company describes the "very serious charges" brought against him as "unjustified, baseless and utterly unsupported by either fact or supporting evidence".

"The coverage of Ray Whelan’s arrests, his incarceration and subsequent court proceedings has been entirely one-sided, prejudiced, unrepresentative, and in many instances entirely inaccurate, from the very outset," a Byrom statement said.

"These inaccurate stories live on forever in electronic archives (that includes the internet but also any other similar repository) and it is impossible to have them deleted, even though the case against Ray Whelan has now been closed and allegations therein have been proven to be untrue and unfounded."

Brazilian police said Whelan had been arrested as part of a $100 million (£79 million/€93 million) ticket touting investigation.

However, supporters have long claimed that the entire case was based on largely false information to allow Brazilian authorities to score a public relations coup after world football’s governing body FIFA had warned frequently about the illegal sale of tickets.

Match maintains that Whelan was simply fulfilling its obligations by legally attempting to resell packages that had been given back to the company late on.

In an exclusive interview with insideworldfootball, Whelan claimed he could have been used as a scapegoat and that Rio prosecutors failed to understand the varying duties carried out by the numerous Match officials.

"It came as huge shock but they could never produce a single piece of evidence," said Whelan.

"Obviously I’m relieved this is finally the end because it’s not been pleasant for me or my family or for the company.

"People say there is no smoke without fire but there was neither smoke nor fire because I was just doing my job."

Whelan claimed that he has never been asked a question by Brazilian police who undertook the investigation.

"Was there a political agenda for what happened to me? Obviously it’s something I’ve thought about," he added. 

"They tried to put two and two together but couldn’t get four.

"Yet I was incarcerated for 24 days and allowed out once a day for an hour after being asked the names of my mother and father - and nothing more.

"I think they wanted the newsworthiness of me being in prison.

"It was like some kind of TV reality show."

Brazilian officials released taped recordings to a national television station purporting to show Whelan discussing expensive hospitality packages with Mohamadou Lamine Fofana, an alleged French-Algerian ticket tout.

Whelan did not know that Match had put a block on Fofana buying any more packages or tickets but insisted the evidence against him was completely flawed.

"It’s complete garbage," Whelan told insideworldfootball regarding the 900 phone calls he allegedly had with Fofana.

"The media just picked it and ran with it. 

"The whole thing was 28 phone calls completed and 17 minutes’ worth of talk time. 

"It was a complete frenzy and we were helpless. 

"It was not even on our radar."

The treatment of Whelan by Brazilian prosecutors and police is reminiscent of that handed out to Irishman Patrick Hickey, the Olympic Council of Ireland and European Olympic Committees President, who has faced legal difficulties in Brazil since he was arrested in a dawn raid during Rio 2016 on August 17.

The 71-year-old, held in Bangu prison for 10 days following his arrest, is charged with various ticketing offences, which reportedly include criminal organisation, ticket touting, ambush marketing, larceny, money laundering and tax evasion.

Hickey denies all the charges against him and received good news last month when a judge in Brazil agreed to return his passport so he could leave the country.