Stand back Scottish footballers: vanishing spray has arrived

The spray – to mark out 10 yards at free-kicks – will be used in the eight William Hill Scottish Cup fixtures. 

And we know it took a week or two for English refs to get comfortable with their new weapons.

The equipment will then be introduced into Scottish Professional Football League fixtures – and the Lowland and Highland leagues – for the second half of the season.

The Scottish Football Association’s head of referee operations John Fleming, said: “Vanishing spray is a simple yet effective tool which will aid our referees in their management of set-piece situations.

“Based on the current application and widespread use around the world, vanishing spray will undoubtedly enhance the reputation of our game.

“We are pleased to be able to roll the spray out across our senior leagues and cup competitions and look forward to seeing the benefits from this weekend in the William Hill Scottish Cup fifth round.”

The spray is now used in 13 European countries, including England, after being introduced at the World Cup in Brazil last summer.