Soccer News of Friday, 21 June 2013

Source: ghanafa.org

Satellites to test vanishing spray

...as FIFA puts it on trial

The Black Satellites' opening game against France at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey will be the first game to trial the vanishing spray as FIFA utilises it for the first time.

According to FIFA, referees will use it on a trial basis in all 52 matches of the U-20 World Cup as the competition starts on Friday.

Ghana's Group A game with France in Istanbul at the U-20 World Cup is the first match that gets the competition underway.

The spray is aimed at giving match officials the opportunity to mark a line on which the defending team must line up its defensive wall before a free kick is taken.

The spray marks a white line on the grass, which indicates clearly any attempted encroachment by players aimed at narrowing the angle or affecting the taking of the free-kick.

The spray is a non-contaminating foam that can be used on grass, synthetic and dirt pitches, and disappears between 45 seconds and two minutes of being applied. It will be used on a trial basis in all 52 matches of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved the spray's use during the board’s 125th Meeting, in Surrey, Great Britain, on 5 March 2012, and determined that any confederation, member association or league could use it in future if they wished.