Vuvuzela blows up a storm in World Cup

By Goodwill Zunidza in MANGAUNG/BLOEMFONTEIN

Are you a Zimbabwean soccer addict ready to catch the next bus to South Africa for the 2010 Fifa World Cup with a vuvuzela neatly packed in your bag or tucked under your armpit? Well, before you bring it you are advised to watch the Press for details regarding the ear-rattling musical instrument that has taken the competition by storm.

The vuzuzela is now high up the agenda every time the local organising committee meets for a review of the day’s events, with heart-stopping indications that it may yet be banned for the remaining matches of the elite global tournament that has so far been characterised by its piercing noise.

Although Fifa, through its topmost official President Sepp Blatter (as he prefers to be called) had given South Africa’s favourite musical instrument a stay of execution, arguing it’s part of African tradition of dance and song, new developments now threaten to silence the vuvuzela once and for all.

With visitors, mainly the non-African participants, unrelenting in their calls for the instrument to be scrapped off, Danny Jordaan, chief executive officer of the South African Football Association and head of LOC, worryingly warned fans yesterday that the vuvuzelas’ days may be numbered.

Here to watch the Group F clash between Cameroon and Japan at the Free State Stadium, Jordaan told reporters there had been serious complaints from broadcasting companies that the vuvuzelas were interfering with the sound effects of their productions.

“We have heard from several stakeholders, in particular broadcasters, that the vuvuzela is affecting production and it is something we are evaluating on an on-going basis,” said Jordaan.

The Safa boss did not mince his words when asked to be direct and comment whether a ban on the instrument was possible.

“If there are grounds to do so, yes,” he responded.

Jordaan’s remarks are the strongest yet to come from authorities and could spoil the fun for local football lovers who had adopted the vuvuzela as a must-have for all the matches they attend.

The plastic instrument is a derivation from the old traditional vuvuzela instrument that was made from kudu horns and blown by pre-modern Zulu and Sotho warriors to intimidate enemy invaders.

It began to be mass-produced in its current format in 2001 and found its way into football stadia in 2007 as the South African scene glowed in anticipation of hosting Africa’s first World Cup finals this year.

The vuvuzela became a hot issue when nationals of Europe and the Americas came into contact with it for the first time at the Fifa Confederations Cup held in this country around this period last year.

Appeals made by Spanish and Italian footballers for the noisy instrument to be sanctioned, however, fell on deaf ears after Blatter and his spokespersons both defended it, saying foreigners would have to get used to South Africa’s diverse cultures.

But it emerged, even before Jordaan commented yesterday, that the world’s football governing body was still trying to locate legal instruments with which to ban the vuvuzela, now referred to here as Bafana Bafana’s 12th man.

According to Fifa insiders, the football bosses are mooting plans to list the toy gadget among “dangerous” items prohibited from entering match venues.

“Fifa are considering concerns that drunk fans would use it as a weapon against each other in the terraces or even throw it as a missile on to the field,” revealed the insider.

“The bosses even perused their football statutes intending to link the horn with ambush marketers who could print on it unsanctioned advertisements or political or religious slogans which is a violation of Fifa laws.”

Jordaan is on record previously expressing support for the use of vuvuzela as part of the local football culture but yesterday he was in no mood to be reminded of his earlier view, charging that fans should be careful not to step over the line if they still wanted to blow themselves wild with the highly popular instrument.

“We have tried to get some order.

“We did ask the fans not to blow the vuvuzela during national anthems and no vuvuzelas when someone is making an announcement or talking.

“I know it’s difficult but we should try to manage as best as we can.

“It is up to the fans to behave for the duration of the tournament or have their beloved instruments banned.”

Jordaan went on: “All through our history, our ability to sing really inspired and showed emotion. In the days of the struggle we did not blow anything, we were singing.”

Argentine boy wonder and reigning Footballer of the Year, Lionel Messi, has become the latest to launch a tirade on the vuvuzela, despite his stellar show in his side’s 1-0 victory over Nigeria at Ellis Park on Saturday amid piercing noise.

“It’s impossible to communicate. It’s like being deaf,” Messi said afterwards and immediately found companionship from French playmaker Yoann Gourceff, who ludicrously blamed the vuvuzela as one reason for their poor performance in the goalless draw with Uruguay in Cape Town on the opening day of the tournament last Friday.

Patrice Evra, the French captain, though also testifying against the instrument, claiming he had been untimely woken up from his deep slumber at 6am on the morning of the tie by vuvuzelas blowing loudly past the team’s hotel, offered a different take.

“The trumpets are a tradition in this country,” said the African descended Manchester United fullback.

“You can’t start criticising them now,” he advised his teammates.

Whatever the world’s views, the vuvuzela remains like a lucky charm for South African soccer players.

Bafana Bafana’s 22-year old first-choice goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has even called for louder blowing of the horn.

“I did not hear the sound of the vuvuzela in our first match against Mexico at Soccer City. It was like people did not bring them at all to the stadium.

“We ask South Africans to please bring more vuvuzelas to the stadium in our next match against Uruguay at Loftus Stadium (tomorrow).

“We want to hear the sound of vuvuzelas reverberating in all our matches.

“The more the sound of vuvuzelas, the better for us. We always feel good when we hear their sound,” said Khune, who turned on a transfer-winning performance in the Mexico game.

For now, even as the writer winds up this piece, the din coming from vuvuzelas out in the streets is deafening.

It has been so even late into the night when the final whistle has long been blown and is now truly a part of this tournament that banning it could cause more noise.

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