UEFA planning to trial 'vanishing spray' at U-17 Football Championship in May

European football governing body UEFA has said that it is planning to test the so-called vanishing spray at the 2014 Under-17 Football Championship in Malta in May.

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.

According to Sport24, 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.

UEFA said that its executive committee had given a green light to deploy the spray, seen as a way to make life easier for referees and players alike, at the Malta tournament, adding that the spray may be considered for use in other UEFA competitions based on the outcome of this trial.

The report mentioned that the spray 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.

FIFA also 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, for which they went on to conduct a test at last month's World Club Cup, the report added.