Fotball: UEFA approves vanishing spray test

Fotball: UEFA approves vanishing spray test
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Summary Governing body says it has given a green light to deploy the spray at May's tournament.

GENEVA (AFP) - 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.
 

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