For the first time in Sri Lankan football history, referees used the ‘vanishing spray’ in the FA Cup 2016.
The historic moment happened in the quarter finals of the FA Cup where FIFA referees Dilan Perera and Prashanth Rajkrishna used the spray in the Renown v Java Lane and Saunders v Blue Star matches.
Vanishing spray, also known as vanishing foam, is a substance applied to the surface of a playing field in order to provide a temporary visual marker. Its use in association football is not regulated by the Laws of the Game, authorization being in the hands of the governing body of a match, league, or tournament.
In football, referees use the spray to enforce the rules as to the minimum distance that members of the opposing team should maintain between themselves and the ball during a free kick, as well as mark the spot from which the kick should be taken.
History
In 2000, Brazilian inventor Heine Allemagne developed the spray under the name “Spuni” (pronounced SPOO-nee, from espuma, the Portuguese word for foam). Its first use in a professional level was in the 2001 Brazilian Championship, Copa João Havelange. Referees unanimously approved its use and the spray was since adopted in Brazilian competitions.
An international patent application for “Spuni” was filed by its inventor on March 31, 2000 and the patent granted on October 29, 2002.
Since then, the spray has been used in many international football competitions. In June 2014 the spray’s latest commercial version, “9-15”, made its debut in the FIFA 2014 World Cup. “9-15” was developed by Argentinian entrepreneur Pablo Silva and its commercial production started in 2008.
The 2011 Copa América tournament was the first tournament for national teams to use the spray. Its success caused it to be adopted by several national leagues in 2011 in America, including Major League Soccer. It has also been used in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey, the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Malta and Gozo, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The first World Cup match to feature the vanishing spray was the opening game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup between Brazil and Croatia on 12 June, used by referee Yuichi Nishimura.
(Source – Wikipedia)
