Referee Barton forgets vanishing spray as France vs Spain semi-final briefly halted

Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton caused an unplanned stoppage in the World Cup semi-final between France and Spain after discovering he had forgotten his vanishing spray, requiring fourth official Glenn Nyberg to run onto the pitch and hand him the can.

The incident occurred on eight minutes after France midfielder Adrien Rabiot caught Spain’s Dani Olmo on the foot with a mistimed challenge, earning a yellow card and giving Spain a free-kick in a promising position. As Barton moved to set the wall, he realised he was without the spray used to mark the required distance — prompting Nyberg to sprint from the touchline with a replacement can while slightly bewildered players looked on.

“The referee has forgotten his spray. Come on, you have two jobs. Remember your whistle and remember your spray,” former England forward Chris Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Barton, 35, was born in Santa Ana, El Salvador’s second largest city, and brings an unusual academic background to the role — he previously worked as a professor of organic chemistry after earning a degree in chemical sciences. He is a regular fixture in Concacaf’s top competitions and made his World Cup debut at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

The official has not been short of notable moments at this edition of the tournament. He made history earlier in the competition as the first referee to send a player off for covering their mouth during a confrontation, dismissing Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron in their group-stage match against Turkey. He also took charge of the round-of-16 tie between Colombia and Switzerland.

Barton’s profile rose further in 2023 when he halted a Concacaf Nations League match between the United States and Mexico in stoppage time due to homophobic chants from supporters — a decision that drew widespread attention across the game.