Vanishing Spray joins goal-line technology at FIFA World Cup 2014

The one that Vanished

FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced on Thursday that ‘Vanishing spray’ will partner goal-line technology which is due to make its debut at the tournament to eradicate mistakes such as England midfielder Frank Lampard‘s disallowed goal against Germany in the second round of the 2010 World Cup.

In this system, after the award of a free-kick near the penalty area, the referee paces the regulatory 9.15 metres before spraying a line on the pitch to mark the correct position of the defenders’ ‘wall’; the line then vanishes from the pitch within a minute. It is widely accepted that the spray will effectively reduce defensive encroachment from free-kicks.

Vanishing Spray has been developed in Argentina and is currently being used at the Club World Cup in Morocco. Prior to this it was also used at the FIFA Under-20 and Under-17 World Cups this year. Major League Soccer uses a similar system called Aero Comex Futline. The spray is said to be biodegradable and disappears in minutes, leaving no residue, and works on grass, synthetic, and concrete playing surfaces.

Blatter said that the innovation has received positive reviews in recent trials.

“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,” Blatter said.

“The representative of Bayern Munich said that here they can take free-kicks with the wall nine metres away, while at home it’s only five,” Blatter added. “It’s a novelty….we will start using it in the World Cup in Brazil next year.”

FIFA’s latest initiative has not been met with widespread acceptance. Marcello Lippi, coach of Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande, criticized this new method saying that the referee had not been measuring the distances correctly in their recent 3-0 drubbing by Bayern Munich.

“The wall was 15 metres from the ball,” Lippi said.