The 2014 World Cup has been dubbed as a roaring success just one week into the tournament. It has all the elements of drama, controversy, thrills and heart. The Belfast Telegraph said that this year's global football tournament also has an element of mystery, thanks to the curious foam-like spray Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura used to herd players off following a controversial free kick call in favor of Brazil.
The supposed magic spray, due to the fact that the foam "vanishes" before your very eyes for a swift period of time, also saw action in the succeeding games, underscoring FIFA's efforts to bring in new technology to help officiate the football matches.
The European paper said that the foam spray is nothing new to South American football fans, who have witnessed its use in league matches on the continent in the past years. The spray reportedly aids referees to curb the instances of players doing the defensive wall creep forward, which usually cramps the free kick taker's style when a referee's back is turned.
Citing a LiveScience definition, the foam is described as, "A mixture of butane, isobutane and propane gas; a foaming agent; water; and other chemicals. When it leaves the can, the gas depressurizes and expands, creating small, water-covered droplets on the field. The butane mixture later evaporates, leaving only water and surfactant residue behind."
Created by Argentine journalist Pablo Silva, the inspiration to develop such product was to enforce players to adhere to the metric equivalent of the free-kick distance.
Aside from the foam spray, FIFA has also introduced GoalControl, a new technology that allows judges to have a good look at contested goals. The new measures, of which some referees are observed to be still having a hard time adjusting to it, were no doubt employed in order to ensure the fairness of every match in the tournament.
