Vanishing spray to be used at World Club Cup: FIFA

A vanishing spray which has been used in South America for several years to stop defensive walls creeping forward at free kicks will feature at next month's World Club Cup, FIFA said on Wednesday.

FIFA said the spray had been tested at this year's Under-20 and Under-17 World Cups with "very good overall feedback from the participating referees."

Referees pace the regulation 9.15 metres between the ball and the nearest defender before spraying a line on the pitch to mark the correct position of the wall. The line then disappears from the pitch within a minute.

The spray was developed in Brazil, where it was first used, and Argentina and is licensed by the Argentine company 9.15 Fair Play Limit.

"A large majority of the officials considered the spray as a useful and helpful tool," said FIFA's head of refereeing Massimo Busacca.

"The spray has a clear preventive effect: The distance was always respected, so no yellow card for not respecting the distance had to be given throughout the two tournaments played so far.

"After the World Club Cup in Morocco further evaluations will be made. We will review the results and discuss if the spray will be used also in future FIFA competitions."

Image: Referee Baldomero Toledo sprays vanishing paint to mark the proper distance from a free kick

Photograph: Ned Dishman/Getty Images