- Now you see it, now you don't. That's the logic behind the vanishing spray being used at this year's World Cup in Brazil.
If you watched Thursday's
opening Brazil-Croatia match, you may have seen it: Before a free kick
in the first half, a referee pulled a spray can out of a holster and
squirted a white line on the field.
No, the World Cup refs
aren't wannabe graffiti artists. For the first time, FIFA referees are
using the special spray to paint a temporary white line 10 yards from
the free kick spot, marking the safe area into which opposing players
cannot encroach.
The spray disappears after one minute.
This, although somewhat
awkward to watch, addresses a problem for referees and players alike:
Although they're supposed to remain 10 yards away, opposing players have
frequently crept closer to the free-kick taker in an effort to disrupt
the kick, starting countless arguments about fairness.
The vanishing spray,
which was an immediate hit Thursday on Twitter, is the brainchild of
Argentinian journalist and entrepreneur Pablo Silva.
"It started seven or eight years ago when I was playing in a championship played amongst former school members," Silva told Reuters.
"In the 88th minute, we
were losing 1-0 and won a free kick on the edge of the area. When I took
the kick, the wall (of opposing players) was three meters away. The
referee didn't book anyone and didn't do anything. We lost the game and
driving home later, with a mixture of anger and bitterness, I thought
that we must invent something to stop this."
Written by Unknown
We are Creative Blogger Theme Wavers which provides user friendly, effective and easy to use themes. Each support has free and providing HD support screen casting.
