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Referee Receives Vanishing Spray from Fourth Official During France-Spain World Cup Semi-Final
The World Cup semi-final between France and Spain began with a delay after referee Ivan Barton realized he lacked vanishing spray. Fourth official Glenn Nyberg supplied the can on the pitch. The Independent reported the incident.
Jul 14, 3:28 PM·1m read1 source
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The World Cup semi-final between France and Spain opened with an unexpected delay after referee Ivan Barton discovered he had forgotten his vanishing spray. Spain received a free kick in the eighth minute after France midfielder Adrien Rabiot received a yellow card for stepping on Spain midfielder Dani Olmo's foot. Fourth official Glenn Nyberg ran onto the field to hand Barton the spray can.
Barton, 35, is from Santa Ana, El Salvador. He previously worked as a professor of organic chemistry after earning a degree in chemical sciences. He regularly officiates Concacaf's major tournaments and made his World Cup debut at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Earlier in the current edition Barton became the first referee to dismiss a player for covering his mouth during a confrontation, sending off Paraguay's Miguel Almiron in their match against Turkey. He also officiated the round-of-16 match between Colombia and Switzerland.
In 2023 he halted a Concacaf Nations League game between the United States and Mexico in stoppage time because of homophobic chants from fans.
Come on, you have two jobs. Remember your whistle and remember your spray,” former England forward Chris Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
