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World Cup: Vanishing spray to be used in UEFA Champions League

Heine Allegmagne's spray in action during the on-going World Cup finals
Image: Heine Allegmagne's vanishing spray in action during the on-going World Cup finals in Brazil

One of the great innovations of the ongoing World Cup - the vanishing spray used to mark out 10 yards at free-kicks - will be adopted in next season’s Champions League.

And the man who invented it, Heine Allegmagne, would like to see the game’s major associations use it for their own competitions – including the Premier League.

At this year’s World Cup the bright white foam has been used by referees at free-kicks to make sure defensive walls do not encroach closer than 10 yards – and remains in view for around one minute before evaporating.

Allegmagne worked with a company to concoct the spray from vegetable oil derivatives and it was used for the first time in a competitive match in Belo Horizonte as far back as 2000.

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He has now obtained the international patent for the firm, with the spray already widely used for matches in Brazil and Argentina.

The Premier League is expected to discuss with clubs whether to introduce it after reading a report drawn up by referees chief Mike Riley.

Allegmagne says: "It's already been agreed that UEFA will use this in their championships.

"Some people have been conservative but I hope that people around the world, including the Premier League, will be impressed by what they have seen in this World Cup.

"The Eureka moment came when I was listening to the radio and the commentator was talking about the wall not staying back. It came to me I could do something.

"I wanted to solve a technical problem that had been plaguing football for more than a century. The big historic moment came in 2000 when the spray was first used here in Belo Horizonte."

The spray costs around £3 per can, with FIFA taking 320 of these for the World Cup in Brazil.

Don't forget you can follow all the Champions League action this season on Sky Sports all-new channel dedicated to European football, Sky Sports 5.