FIFI has announced referees at the 2014 World Cup to be held in Brazil will us vanishing spray to make sure defensive walls do not move forward during free kicks. When a free kick is awarded in a penalty area the ref will walk the 10 yards between the ball and the closest defender. Using the spray the referee will mark a line that will show the correct position of the defensive wall. Within a minute, the line the referee laid down will disappear from the pitch.
The spray was developed in Brazil and Argentina and is a new tool used to ensure fair play in the game of football. The spray received positive feedback when it was used in the Club World Cup held in Morocco. Speaking with Reuters FIFA president Sepp Blatter praised the decision to use the vanishing spray at the 2014 World Cup. “I think it’s a very good solution. Some say it takes too much time and I was also quite skeptical at the beginning but all the referees who have used the system were pleased with it.”
The spray is described as a “water based, shaving cream like foam.” Blatter also said the distance from which players can take a free kick is greater using the spray than without it. “The representative of Bayern Munich said that here they can take free kicks with the wall nine meters away, while at home it’s only five. It’s a novelty,” Blatter said to the Associated Press. The AP notified the creator of the vanishing spray, Pablo Silva that his product would be used at the World Cup and he was ecstatic.
In a statement to the Associated Press Silva said, “We’ve climbed a long steep curve to get here. Economically this will be very important for us, but what makes us most proud is that the product will be recognized at an international level. You can’t put a price on that.” The World Cup will take place in various Brazilian cities from Thursday June 12 and will end on Sunday July 13, 2014. Recent work related accidents and fatalities have halted construction on the unfinished stadiums being built for the World Cup.
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