Yorkshire brickie sues FIFA and loses over Lampard’s World Cup ‘goal’

Grandfather Geoff Asprey took on the governing body of football claiming copyright infringement after FIFA announced they would consider goal-line technology following the incident.

Mr Asprey claimed at the County Court that they stole his concept - which he says he invented 10 years ago.

He said he came up with the idea after he was angered when his youngest son Nick, a promising goalkeeper, had his career ended by a tackle in a youth team game a decade ago.

The 68-year-old, of Beal, near Selby, came up with a plan for TV replays to film major games and decisions to be presided over by video referees.

He wrote to the FA who welcomed his plan and passed the idea on to FIFA - but he heard nothing more for nine years.

Then, after England’s Lampard had a goal wrongly not given in South Africa, FIFA began plans to experiment with goal-line technology.

Mr Asprey, who represented himself at Leeds County Court in July, said: “Nick was in the Leeds United youth team and everyone said he was going to make it as a professional.

“Then in a game at Tranmere this big centre forward clobbered him in a tackle.

“I remember shouting at the linesman and he just told me to clear off. Nick, myself and my wife were heartbroken by the end of his career.

“It was then I vowed to clean the game up. It has got too fast for the human eye. I knew I couldn’t help Nick, and you could only do it for high-profile games that were covered by TV cameras, but I wanted to think of an idea which would lessen the chances of anyone going through the same.”

He devised a system where top games would have a video referee, who would be called upon to judge various decisions, taking those calls away from the on-field ref. He wrote to the FA in September 2001, just weeks after Nick’s terrible injury, explaining his idea and recommending four law changes.

He urged them to use video referees for offside decisions - particularly in the penalty area - red card and second yellow card calls, penalty shouts and whether the ball had crossed the line.

The FA replied saying they liked the idea and would pass it on to FIFA, but ultimately FIFA would have to ratify it. All went quiet until Lampard’s infamous ‘goal’ which was clearly over the line but not given.

Following the outcry, FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced they would be considering using goal-line technology but Mr Asprey insisted they had copied this directly from his 2001 idea.

He wrote to FIFA alleging copyright infringement, and they replied saying copyright “does not exist in an idea but rather the expression of an idea” - clearly expecting him to back down.

During a hearing lasting less than two hours, Mr Asprey argued that FIFA’s recent suggestions that they may consider using video technology meant they had copied his idea without his permission.

He said: “The concept of goal-line technology was stolen from my 2001 idea for video referees. I couldn’t believe they were thinking of doing this without contacting me first.

“I couldn’t afford a lawyer but I was so convinced I was in the right I put my case forward myself. But they didn’t want to know.”

He later found out by letter that the case had been thrown out, and two weeks ago he received a letter ordering him to pay £12,000.

Mr Asprey, who says he does not support a team other than England, added: “I’m still working but it will be tough to find the money, it’s a lot of money.

“I love football, I always have, but the game is so fast now the refs need help. I recognised this ten years ago and FIFA have just copied my idea and given me no credit for it. And I haven’t got justice.”

Louise Eckersley from lawyers Field Fisher Waterhouse confirmed the company represented FIFA against an unfounded copyright infringement claim brought by Mr Asprey, along with the costs of £12,000.