UEFA approves vanishing spray test

Geneva: UEFA on Friday said it planned to test so-called vanishing spray, seen as a way to make life easier for referees and players alike, at the European Under-17 championship.

European football`s governing body said that its executive committee had given a green light to deploy the spray at May`s tournament in Malta. "Based on the outcome of this trial, the spray may be considered for use in other UEFA competitions," it said. Vanishing spray, which disappears within a minute, is a foam squirted onto the pitch to mark the line where the defending team set up their defensive wall before a free kick is taken. Referees pace the regulatory 9.15 metres (30 feet) between the ball and the nearest defender and then spray a white line to mark the correct position of the wall. It has been praised widely by referees who have tested it, on the grounds that it has a clear preventative effect and means they do not end up having to hand out yellow cards to players who fail to respect the distance. UEFA`s global counterpart FIFA likewise conducted trials of the spray at last year`s Under-20 and Under-17 World Cups, with no yellow cards given at all for distance breaches. As a result, FIFA went on to conduct a test at last month`s World Club Cup.