Annoying African horns not to be banned (yet) by FIFA
PostPosted:Tue Jun 15, 2010 5:25 am
There have been many complaints by players and broadcasters who are finding it difficult to concentrate. The horns are constantly sounded throughout entire games; they sound like a large swarm of bees, or perhaps 40,000 people in one place starting up their bagpipes. FIFA has stated that they will be banned only under circumstances as severe as the horns being thrown on the field in anger.
In other news; Germany was victorious over Australia 4-0 =)
In other news; Germany was victorious over Australia 4-0 =)
FIFA refuses to ban the horn of Africa
Published Date: 15 June 2010
By Stephen McGinty
LOUDER than a pneumatic drill and "played" by an orchestra of thousands of football fans, they have become an irritant to some and the unofficial soundtrack to the World Cup to others.
• Supporters blow plastic trumpets known as vuvuzelas, based on traditional South African horns. Picture: Getty
The vuvuzela, a three-foot long plastic trumpet, whose incessant drone has drowned out the traditional cheers – and jeers – from rival fans, is here to stay after FIFA rejected calls for a ban and defended the device as a part of the rich tradition of African football.
While audiences at home adjusted the volume in an attempt to dispel the drone which has been described as the equivalent of a swarm of bees, players have been no less upset.
Portugal's star Cristiano Ronaldo complained that a lot of players found the noise distracting and Argentina's Lionel Messi insisted they made it impossible for players to communicate on the pitch.
On Sunday, there were fears that fans may be prevented from entering the stadium with the trumpets after Danny Jordaan, the head of the World Cup, admitted officials might consider banning vuvuzelas if they were used to drown out the singing of anthems.
However, yesterday Rich Mkhondo, the World Cup spokesman, said the tuneless tubes were a key part of the African identity of this year's tournament and instead called on visiting supporters to embrace the instruments.
Mr Mkhondo said: "Vuvuzelas are here to stay and will never be banned. Look at them as part of our culture in South Africa to celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They emanate from the horn used by our forefathers to call meetings. The vuvuzelas are used to express the feelings about the game itself."
In Britain, they will emanate from Sainsbury's, after the supermarket giant bought an order of 75,000 which are now expected to sell out, while in Edinburgh the owner of a South African coffee shop, which ordered 50 ahead of the opening ceremony, has already sold out.
Chris Wedge, who runs the Zulu Lounge, said: "The vuvuzela is part of the South African culture. I'm delighted that sense has prevailed and they will be kept in the tournament."
Mr Wedge said customers flocked to the store to snap up the brightly coloured plastic horns after hearing they were going for £9.95 each.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter defended South African fans' right to blow their vuvuzela horns.
"I have always said that Africa has a different rhythm, a different sound," he said in a Twitter message yesterday. "I don't see banning the music traditions of fans in their own country.
"Would you want to see a ban on the fan traditions in your country?"
But there were concerns about the effects on people's ears after the trumpet was recorded generating a noise of 125 decibels, louder than a chainsaw or pneumatic drill.
Yesterday Crystal Rolfe, an audiology specialist with the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, said: "We know that these horns can cause damage to people's ears.
"They have been measured to reach more than 125 decibels – a pneumatic drill in the street can get to between 90 and 100 decibels, so it's much louder than that.
"If you listen to sounds over 85 decibels for a prolonged period of time, it can cause temporary or even permanent damage to your ears. People who regularly go to pubs or gigs where there is loud music are putting themselves at further risk."
The issue has been no less a problem for those watching live coverage with people complaining about the monotonous drone and turning down the volume.
Yesterday, a spokeswoman for the BBC said they had already received 224 complaints about the sound generated by vuvuzelas and that audio technicians had already turned down the on-pitch microphones in an attempt to reduce the irritation.
She said: "The vuvuzela is part of South African football culture; however we are monitoring the situation. We do have other options."