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UEFA to adopt vanishing spray

Geneva - UEFA have 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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