Vanishing spray
Temporary foam marker used in football to enforce free-kick distances.
Vanishing spray, sometimes called vanishing foam, is a temporary marker applied to a soccer pitch. Referees primarily use it to show where the defending team must stand during a direct free kick—at least ten yards (9.15 meters) from the ball—and to mark the exact spot for the kick. When first sprayed, it looks like white paint or thin shaving foam, then fades completely within about a minute, leaving no trace. The Laws of the Game don't regulate its use; instead, the governing body running a match, league, or tournament decides whether to allow it.
The spray is meant to cut down on delays by stopping defenders from creeping closer than the required ten yards on free kicks, and by preventing the attacking team from moving the ball illegally from the referee's designated spot. It's mostly used at top-level competitions. The referee carries the aerosol can in a holster on their shorts and decides when to use it. Opponents must still retreat ten yards even if the spray isn't applied, unless the team taking the kick chooses a quick free kick. Typically, the referee only uses it when a free kick could lead to a scoring chance—rarely for kicks in a team's own half. When used, the referee marks the ball's spot, paces ten yards toward the goal, sprays a line, then blows the whistle for the kick. The marks vanish in about a minute, though some reports say it can take up to two minutes depending on weather and field conditions.
The can's contents are roughly 80% water, 17% butane gas, 1% surfactant, and about 2% vegetable oil. When sprayed, the liquefied butane expands and evaporates instantly, creating gas bubbles in the water-surfactant mix. The surfactant stabilizes these bubbles into a foam, which eventually collapses, leaving only water and surfactant residue. The foam is biodegradable, volatile, and harmless to players and turf. More technical details are in the US patent applications for the two commercial products: Spuni (2001) and 9-15 (2010).
Brazilian inventor Heine Allemagne developed the spray in 2000, calling it "Spuni" (from the Portuguese *espuma*, meaning foam). He got the idea while watching a broadcast where a commentator complained about defensive walls creeping forward on free kicks; it reminded him of shaving foam, so he tested it as a temporary marker. The spray was first tried experimentally by the Federação Mineira de Futebol during the 2000
- Inventor
- Heine Allemagne
- Year of invention
- 2000
- Country of origin
- Brazil
- Commercial names
- Spuni, 9-15
- First senior FIFA World Cup use
- 2014
- Approved by FIFA and IFAB
- 2012
Lore & Background
Vanishing spray was developed in Brazil in 2000 by inventor Heine Allemagne under the commercial name 'Spuni' (from espuma, the Portuguese word for foam). According to Allemagne, the idea came to him while watching a broadcast in which a commentator raised the recurring problem of defensive walls encroaching on free kicks, which reminded him of shaving foam and prompted him to test the substance as a temporary field marking. The spray was first tested on an experimental basis by the Federação Mineira de Futebol during the 2000 Taça BH de Juniores, a lower-division youth tournament, before the Brazilian Football Confederation authorized its use in the 2001 Brazilian Championship. In 2002, a circular made the spray's use mandatory in all matches organized by the confederation.
The spray was independently commercialized in Argentina under the name '9-15' by entrepreneur Pablo Silva, who first claimed authorship of the concept in 2009; commercial production of the Argentine version began in 2008. Allemagne and Silva subsequently agreed to jointly promote the product. The Argentine Football Association tested the spray for the first time in a Primera B Nacional match during the 2008–09 season, before it was adopted in Argentina's top flight and, shortly after, in Mexico's top division. It was then used in continental club competitions, the Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores, before the 2011 Copa América became the first tournament for national teams to use the spray. FIFA formally approved the equipment in 2012, following a report submitted by the South American Football Confederation that led the International Football Association Board to unanimously approve its use on football pitches worldwide.
In 2018, Allemagne publicly alleged that FIFA had not paid him for the spray, instead continuing to produce and use the spray without paying royalties. In December 2017, a Brazilian court acknowledged Allemagne's patent and ordered FIFA to stop using the spray in its competitions; FIFA refused to comply, arguing that Brazilian courts had no jurisdiction over the organization. In October 2021, the Court of Justice of the State of Rio de Janeiro ruled against FIFA, ordering the organization to compensate Allemagne after finding that it had negotiated in bad faith over the purchase of the patent.
Reader's Guide
Vanishing spray has become a widely adopted tool in association football, particularly at the highest levels of competition. Its primary significance lies in helping to prevent unnecessary delays by preventing the defensive team from encroaching closer than the mandated 10 yards (9.15 meters) from the ball during a free kick, and also by preventing the attacking team from illegally moving the ball from the spot where the referee awarded the kick. The spray is applied from an aerosol can carried by the referee in a holster secured to their shorts. The referee has full discretion on whether or not to use vanishing spray, and opponents are required to retreat 10 yards from the spot of a free kick regardless of whether vanishing spray is used. It is generally only used when a free kick is awarded where a goal-scoring attempt is highly likely to develop. The marks disappear after about one minute, though some accounts suggest full disappearance can take up to two minutes depending on field and weather conditions. The spray's legacy includes its use in the first World Cup match to feature it, the opening game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup between Brazil and Croatia. It is now authorised for use in top flight football for numerous leagues worldwide, including the Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, La Liga, the Premier League, Major League Soccer, and many others. The invention and commercial rights became the subject of a long-running dispute between Allemagne and FIFA, culminating in a 2021 Brazilian court ruling that found FIFA had negotiated in bad faith over the patent.
Did You Know?
- The spray was developed in Brazil in 2000 by inventor Heine Allemagne under the commercial name 'Spuni'.
- The spray was independently commercialized in Argentina as '9-15' by entrepreneur Pablo Silva.
- The first World Cup match to feature the vanishing spray was the opening game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup between Brazil and Croatia.
- The can contains water (~80%), butane gas (~17%), surfactant (~1%), and other ingredients including vegetable oil (~2%).
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