The soccer associations of a number of leading soccer nations, including Spain, Italy, England and The Netherlands, have decided to introduce the so-called vanishing spray.
In addition, the European soccer federation UEFA also has decided that the foam will also be used during matches in the Champions League.
This tool for referees was successfully used during the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. By using the foam, it is easier for referees to keep the defensive wall during a soccer game at the required distance of 10 yards after awarding a free kick to the attacking team.
Use of the vanishing spray
The decision to use the spray foam is up to the referee. In general, the spray will be used at the moment the free kick is located at a distance from which it could cause direct danger to the defending team and the attacking team could have a good chance to score a goal.
The referee will mark the spot of the ball with foam, then he will measure the minimum required distance of 10 yards and then indicates the place of the defensive wall. The players in the wall shall not cross the line indicated by the referee. If a player is still coming closer to the ball than the specified 10 yards, then the referee may punish the player with a yellow card.
Vanishing spray details
The major ingredients of a can with vanishing foam are water (80%), butane gas (17%), vegetable oil (2%) and surfactant (1%). Normally, the foam disappears with the aforementioned ingredients after about a minute.
Recent history
During the 2011 Copa America, the vanishing spray was first used during matches for national teams and the success of the use of this tool during the football tournament caused that several countries in South and North America, including Brazil and the United States of America, were introducing the vanishing foam in their professional leagues. Subsequently, the FIFA also tested the vanishing spray during various youth tournaments.
Technology during soccer matches
Although it seems that the world soccer federation FIFA is still not the most progressive sports association, it is gradually increasing the use of technology during soccer matches. For example, during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil FIFA also used of goal-line technology, where one could see that the ball had crossed the goal line (or not).
(Sources: Guardian, Wiki, Goal)
