Saturday, June 20, 2009

Footballers upset as noisy fans blow their own trumpets

Forget crime, corruption and whether stadiums will be ready on time. The issue bitterly dividing South Africa as it prepares to host the football World Cup is the ear-splitting noise of the vuvuzela.

Described by one newspaper as "a unique brightly coloured elongated trumpet that makes a sound like a herd of elephants approaching", the vuvuzela has become the biggest controversy at this summer's Confederations Cup.



Fans argue that it is an essential way to express their national identity. But players and TV commentators have called for it be banned at the World Cup.



Liverpool's Xabi Alonso, playing for Spain in the current tournament, said: "They make a terrible noise and it's not a good idea to have them on sale outside the grounds. Here's a piece of advice for Fifa [football's world governing body,] - try to ban them."

The South African Association of Audiology has warned that vuvuzelas can damage hearing.

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