Why do footballers spit on the pitch, and why do they also spit out water after drinking?

THE World Cup is rolling on at pace in Qatar.

The tournament is being watched by billions across the globe each day as footballers play for the game’s biggest prize.

Lionel Messi spits during a game for Argentina

Cristiano Ronaldo spits out his water on the touchline

But you may have picked up a couple of trends that footballers seem to do in every game…spitting on the pitch and also spitting out their drinks on the touchline.

Though there is a very scientific reason for this.

Why do footballers spit?

Players need to spit while performing exercise as excess saliva develops.

Additionally, players often spit their drinks out onto the pitch after taking a small swig from the bottle.

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This is due to a tactic called carb rinsing, which can reportedly improve performance.

According to a New York Times article on England players at the 2018 World Cup: “Carb rinsing refers to the practice of swishing with sports drinks for five to ten seconds during exertion, but then spitting it out instead of swallowing.”

Harry Kane spits water out after drinking

The European Journal of Sport Science published a report in 2017 which found that carb rinsing boosted performance in a range of activities.

Running magazine added that during exercise: “Swishing with a carb-laden drink is refreshing and lets you avoid the feeling of bloating or cramping that may come with swallowing liquid.”

Spitting is not an offence in football, so does not warrant any disciplinary card.

However spitting at another player or official is a red card.

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