page_title: Glossary of association football terms
section_title: V
hierarchical_section_title: Glossary of association football terms / V
caption_attribution_description: English: Referee Chris Foy uses a vanishing spray on the opening day of the 2014-15 season in a game at the Boleyn Ground featuring West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur. This was the first day on which the spray was used in the Premier League.
context_page_description: Association football was first codified in 1863 in England, although games that involved the kicking of a ball were evident considerably earlier. A large number of football-related terms have since emerged to describe various aspects of the sport and its culture.
  The evolution of the sport has been mirrored by changes in this terminology over time. For instance, the role of an inside forward in variants of a 2–3–5 formation has many parallels to that of an attacking midfielder, although the positions are nonetheless distinct. Similarly, a 2–3–5 centre half can in many ways be compared to a holding midfielder in a 4–1–3–2.
  In many cases, multiple terms exist for the same concept. One reason for this is the progression of language over time. The sport itself, originally known as association football, is now more widely known by the shortened term football, or soccer, derived from the word association. Other duplicate terms can be attributed to differences among varieties of English. In Europe, where British English is prevalent, the achievement of not conceding a goal for an entire match is known as a clean sheet.
context_section_description: Vanishing spray: short-lasting aerosol paint applied to the grass by the referee to mark the 10 yard exclusion area at a free kick.
  Video technology: long-campaigned for method of determining close decisions, such as whether a ball crosses the goalline, using instant replays provided by television cameras. It is yet to be introduced by the world governing body FIFA.
  Volley: pass or shot in which the ball is struck before it touches the ground.
  Vuvuzela: plastic horn-shaped instruments popularised by supporters at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
caption: Vanishing spray in use
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