Referee pays tribute to dead colleague with vanishing spray

It was an emotional sight in Portugal as a referee used his vanishing spray to pay tribute to his dead colleague.

Premeira Liga referee, João Capela was paying tribute to his colleague Paulo Paraty who passed away last week.

During a one-minute's applause before the game between Boavista and União da Madeira, Capela spelt RIP with his vanishing spray.

In football, referees use the spray to enforce the rules as to the minimum distance that members of the opposing team can come close to the ball during a free kick, as well as the spot from which the kick is taken.

The act was applauded by the crowd when he blew his whistle again to signal the end the minute of silence.

The game ended 1-0 in favour of União da Madeira. They are in 16th on the table while Boavista are 13th.