The World Cup ticket and hospitality partner has worked with football's world governing body for 18 years, but Ray Whelan, a director of Match Services - a subsidiary of Match - handed himself into police days after being branded a "fugitive" and is currently being held in custody in Rio de Janeiro's notorious Bangu Prison as part of the probe.

Byrom is confident, however, that Whelan - also his brother-in-law - will be cleared of any wrongdoing and defended Match's longstanding relationship with FIFA, with its current ticketing contract due to expire, its accommodation agreement going up until 2018 and its hospitality deal until 2023.

Ray Whelan is currently being held in custody after handing himself in to Brazilian police last week ©Twitter


"We certainly hope our ticketing arrangement with FIFA will be extended because we have served them for over 20 years," Byrom told insideworldfootball.

"It would certainly not be ideal for practical reasons if we were kept on for accommodation and hospitality but not for ticketing.

"It's FIFA's prerogative of course but at the end of the day they know as well as we do what this business with Ray is about.

"Ticketing is a very emotive subject.

"Everybody thinks people are up to no good.

"But the only reason we are still around is that FIFA have found us a reliable service company."

Byrom went on to support Match's reputation, saying that it has not been taken to court once in 23 years of business, which he claims is surprising in the service industry.

"Let me tell you something else," he added.

"We have just come out of the most successful World Cup ever.

"It hasn't been easy but we have not had a single refund or a single claim for compensation.

"Except one - and that was over lack of parking.

"How's that for performance?"

Ultimately, Byrom said he is interested in just two things right now: "Getting Ray out of jail and helping the authorities put things in perspective."

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