“Disappearing” Spray To Help Determine Distance Between Free-Kicker And Defender In Argentina

Soccer journalist Pablo Silva got really sick of screaming at his television screen when defenders inched feet closer then they should have during free-kicks. So, he took it into his own hands to develop a “disappearing” spray that can be applied by referees to designate exactly where a defender can stand when someone is about to take a free-kick. This, hypothetically, will help refs, coaches, players and fans at home deteremine whether some punkass is trying to cheat a few feet or not, which will lower all of our heart-rates quite a bit.

Referees will pace the regulatory 9.15 metres between the ball and the nearest defender and then spray a white line on the pitch to mark the correct position of the wall.
The line then disappears from the pitch within a minute.

But how are they going to stop the divers that get the free-kicks from cheating their way to one? We’ll be impressed when they figure that out. Video below.

Spray to keep defenders in place [Reuters]