The Fifa Confederations Cup has gotten off to a great start and despite what many may have thought we have shown that we are capable of hosting one of Fifa’s biggest tournaments. There were concerns about safety and transport ahead of the tournament but so far the only real ‘problem’ has been the Vuvuzela.
International viewers have been complaining about the noise that these Vuvuzela’s make at the games and have started calling on World Football governing body, Fifa to ban them.
I think this will be a HUGE mistake from Fifa, as the Vuvuzela is part of our local soccer culture. If you have ever watched or attended a local soccer match you will have seen the infamous Vuvuzela in action. Critics are saying they are too noisy. I say so what? That is the purpose of the Vuvuzela after all. It is there to get the atmosphere buzzzzing. This is Africa and we are renowned for dancing and singing and generally creating a great vibe at our football matches.
It’s all part of the uniquely South African experience and I’m certain that if our foreign visitors attend the games and experience the electrifying atmosphere they will fall in love with the Vuvuzela.
To me asking the local supporters to leave their Vuvuzela’s at home would be like asking the Liverpool fans not to sing You'll Never Walk Alone, or asking the Brazilian fans not to create the Samba atmosphere at their matches. The World Cup will be held in South Africa so surely people will want to get the South African experience?
Fifa’s English commentators certainly seem to enjoy the festive atmosphere at the stadiums with not one of them having complained about the Vuvuzela.
Sepp Blatter told reporters yesterday that the Vuvuzela will not be banned at the 2010 World Cup, and I for one hope that the Fifa President will stick to his promise. What is your opinion on the Vuvuzela?
Should Fifa ban them or are they part of the uniquely African experience?
30 comments:
The problem with the vuvuzelas, apart from being a gawdawful racket, is that they drown out the reactions of the real fans who are actually watching the action on the pitch. They just make a constant drone that has nothing to do with the progress of the game. I don't know how the players can hear each other in an atmosphere like that.
If that is the only culture South Africa has to share, that is pretty bad. Whatever happened to dancing and singing and costumes? Seems to work for other countries just fine. Don't let your only contribution to the world be an almost universally annoying one!
It's a question of hospitality too. Blasting noise in our ears is just plain rude. I for one am turning the sound off. I feel sorry for anyone travelling to SA to watch the games. They have no choice in the matter.
I Agree Islandbookworm!!!! Even watching the match on TV is an annoyance without the mute on!!
@ Anonymous
This shouldn't really be a problem. I'm sure it is possible for Fifa to lower the "stadium noise-to-commentator voice" ratio.
So if they manage to reduce the sound of the vuvuzela on the broadcast, the TV viewers who complain about it should be happy?
@islandbookworm
The REAL fans are the ones with the vuvuzela. You may be seeing full stadiums now but its a different matter at our local games. The REAL fans who attend local soccer games are in fact the ones with the vuvuzela's.
Is it really fair to expect these fans now to abondon their South African soccer culture because there are visitors coming?
There is so much more to South African soccer culture than the vuvuzela but a common misconception now is that all we do is blow a vuvuzela for 90 minutes non-stop. There's dancing, theres singing and clapping. And There are LOTS of costumes.
Interesting comments about the Vuvuzela, first of all let me take the opportunity to welcome our visitors to the South African soccer family. Secondly allow me to explain one of the cultures in this family, at every soccer match be it Chiefs and Pirates or Dynamos and Black Aces, we blow vuvuzela's. Now, what one is offended by is when visitors come into your family and want to change your culture to suite them. I can never and will never go to a cricket or rugby match and tell seasional supporters there what to do to accomodate me as a first timer.
Its rude, inconsiderate and plain arrogance. In our family, we love the vuvuzela and we shall continue to blow it for as long as we go to watch South African soccer and seek to invoke the South African spirit and feel at a soccer match. If you feel offended im sorry, but do not expect me to change who i am to accomodate you, it does not work like that.
Respect me and i shall respect you.
I plan on attending SA2010 from Atlanta, GA. I agree that the vuvuzela creates an "interesting" vibe at the game. It does not seem so annoying when you are dancing around and having a good time.
But it translates aweful to TV. I cannot imagine a more annoying sound and a bigger turn off to viewers who dont appreciate it (and I cannot blame them). They will simply turn it off. This could potentially be the least watched WC in recent history because of this silly plastic trumpet. My wife loves soccer, but she cannot sit through a complete match because of this sound.
I would seriously hate for SA's contribution and world reputation be severely tarnished because of the vuvuzela.
The argument the blogger is making about comparing Liverpool songs and Brazil's samba atmosphere borders on retarded. I would certainly ask a Liverpool fan to stop if they just screamed one note of YWNWA in my ear for an hour and a half. There is a big difference between an annoying swarm of bees buzzing around your head a samba dance.
I tend to agree that I hate the sound of the Vuvuzela on TV. That said though, I suspect that the vibe will be completely different when you are at the pitch itself. So... I say, give the benefit of the doubt to the local supporters. It would be a shame to tell them what they can and cannot do at 'their' first World Cup.
Use #ban_the_vuvuzela in your Twitter messages and make it a trending topic!
How is South Africa telling the world that they are football visitors? Visitors to the country yes. Visitors to football? Don't make me laugh. This is not South African football next year. It's world football in South Africa. You won't be watching your local teams or players.
We've seen this horn thing before as air horns, clackers, etc. Usually used by young children constantly who aren't watching the match. Usually ends in a justified clip round the head.
On the other hand Scouse fans are a drone to me also.
I dont even know how to blow this vuvuzela, but hey, ti shoyuld not be banned. Just because some earopeans are making noise about our noisy vuvuzela is not enough for them to be banned.
It is a loud and constant annoying sound that never stops a minute, not a celebration of a goal, not encouraging your team at times, not celebrating a wonderful feat of your team, just a silly constant blowing like a small child would do. That kind of constant sound its unfantomable, and a lack of respect for professional players, maybe in southafrica players are deaf and comunicate by signs, but for others it is just plain torture. Cultural contribution? silly excuses.
There is a time and place for everything...For example do a repertoire:
1. Everybody in the stadium blow on the vuvuzela's for a short time after a goal or some sort of light is shown in the stadium, but not all the time!!
2. Then, when not blowing on the Vuvu, sings 5 or so different songs or have maybe 3 or so unique crowd movements – also announced by some stadium light!!
But please sing "Ole ole ole ole…" only 2 times during a match…Don’t know which one is worse: the constant mosquito sound of the Vuvu’s or the one and only “ole ole ole…” song we still cling on to since the ‘95 rugby world cup!!
Come on SA, we are much more imaginative and original than this!!
The main objective I think of the SWC 2010 is for the visitors to return after the tournament, not to chase them away!!
Funny thing is that none of you that are complaining about Vuvuzelas have ever been in SA, in fact I even doubt you've attanded a football match before.
Oh and BTW the South Africans that are complaining are the group that only watch football when top European teams are here.
Vuvuzelas are loud but your yelling about it wont change a thing, get used to it or press the mute button...
this vuvuzela controversy just goes to show how intolerant people still are today. nobody complains when a bunch of drunk European dudes dance half naked, curse @ anything that moves, sing horrible music in the stands, and create a nuisance. no but the moment Africans blow on a trumpet, all hell breaks lose. what pisses me off are the lost souls that want the trumpets banned. this trumpet is what creates the atmosphere in SA football. u have no right to sit in ur homes and deny the locals a means by which they can enjoy the games. hopefully FIFA does not give in so its up to you to adapt to the "noise" or mute ur TVs.
"Critics are saying they are too noisy. I say so what? That is the purpose of the Vuvuzela after all."
Um, have you ever heard of a tautology? Or begging the question?
"... I’m certain that if our foreign visitors attend the games and experience the electrifying atmosphere they will fall in love with the Vuvuzela."
This isn't about foreign visitors. It's about the billions of people watching on television around the world. Be thoughtful. Have some consideration for them.
Honestly: Do you understand what is going on here? A few people in a few stadiums are poised to destroy the World Cup -- the WORLD FRIKKING CUP -- for everybody.
"So if they manage to reduce the sound of the vuvuzela on the broadcast, the TV viewers who complain about it should be happy?"
No. We don't want the crowd noise "reduced." We want to hear the crowd, because it provides drama for the match. Right now, the vuvuzelas are blocking that out completely. It's ruining the matches on television.
"Is it really fair to expect these fans now to abondon their South African soccer culture because there are visitors coming?"
Yes, it's fair. This isn't your tournament, and these certainly aren't YOUR teams. You have one team in the World Cup. Blow your vuvuzelas there all you want. Leave the rest of the tournament alone. It's not yours. It's definitely not yours to ruin for everybody.
It should be clear to you that there is an enormous backlash building around the globe about this. It's happening very quickly, like wildfire this week. Thank God for the Confederations Cup. It gave the world a helpful alert about vuvuzelas, and gives us enough time to get them banned from the World Cup.
And they WILL get banned. You can sit here on this site and blather on all you want about "customs" and "culture." But it won't make any difference in the end. If you think everyone is going to sit by and let the World Cup be destroyed, you're insane. There is FAR too much money, time and attention tied up in this event to let that happen.
And they WILL get banned. You can sit here on this site and blather on all you want about "customs" and "culture." But it won't make any difference in the end.
Who died and made you Fifa President?
Typical of arrogant Americans who have no respect for other peoples cultures.
I guess the South Africans have to be good slaves and have a European World Cup for their masters. In Africa nogals
"Who died and made you Fifa President?"
Nobody. I just know that there's a massive backlash building around the world toward the vuvuzelas. All you have to do is hop around the web for a few minutes. It doesn't take a genius to see that people are very, very upset about this, and that there will be enormous pressure to keep the horns away from the World Cup.
It also doesn't take a genius to realize that there are broadcasters and football associations with billions of dollars tied up in the event. There is simply no way they are going to let the thing be ruined by a single noise that can be easily eliminated.
Thanks for all the comments guys, but let's try and keep the discussion civilized.
Any 'inappropriate' comments will be deleted.
I agree. There's no reason this can't be a civil discussion.
In the end, we all want the same thing here: a great World Cup. We just need to talk our way through all this like human beings, to reach that shared goal.
People also need to realise that there wont be as many South African supporters at the World Cup games. At the moment it looks like it's 95% SA supporters at the stadium.
World Cup will be a different story due to the ticket prices and demand from overseas fans. Which in theory should lead to less noise from the vuvu's...
That is a good point.
I think if you asked most viewers, they would say they don't hate the vuvuzelas in and of themselves. Most people just dislike that it blocks out all the other audience sounds, like the roar after a goal and so on.
Looks like Fifa has banned the vuvuzela ...from being sold at Stadiums
http://goal.com/en/news/1863/world-cup-2010confederations-cup/2009/06/20/1337096/confederations-cup-the-sale-of-vuvuzelas-at-the-stadium
This main argument of this blog has quite ironical, especially if you consider the origin of the vuvuzela.
Have a look at what Andrew from blatant says about them:
http://www.blatant.co.za/2009/06/pop/confederations-fu-cup/
Quite harsh, but I have to say, I agree totally.
Here's another blog post from a soccer fan(which I doubt Andrew is)
http://www.kickoff.com/static/features/article.php?id=9251
Come on guys, vuvuzela is African,it's unique and is great. It creates excitement and atmosphere to the beautiful game of football in Africa. My suggestions is the following, get yourself ear plugs from the chemist or buy a mini scan radio and listen to the commentary on radio 2000 .What a test for TV media boffins ? Alternatively the authorities control it like a traffic light, red - stop (noise), green -go.
What a supa Confeds. WELL DONE FIFA,LOC AND SOUTH AFRICANS.
This thing causes phsyical pain to me. I have a headache after watching two games this week. It drowns out all other crowd noise, meaning no other traditional trants or cheers will be heard in the stands. I think it speaks poorly of South Africa as a host that they value this tradition more than the comfort and enjoyment of their guests. It used to be a tradition to smoke cigars in the stands of my local ballteam, but no more. Sometimes, consideration and respect for others outweighs custom.
Currently watching the finals between USA and Brazil. My question to FIFA is simple: Do you want more international soccer fans or less? I guarantee that allowing vuvuzelas on televised matches will result in significantly less viewers. Personally, I'm turning off the sound for the rest of the match.
I am all for Africa showing their culture in 2010, but I had to watch the second half of the cc final with the sound of. Honestly, I am not trying to be a jerk or disrespect south africa, but there is a million ways that they could show their culture without annoying the rest of the world to this extent.
OFFICIAL VOTING SITE TO BAN OR KEEP THE VUVUZELA
http://www.banvuvuzela.com
It is not a soccer culture, how the hell can it be a culture to blow on a monotonous sounding plastic horn? The vuvuzela was originally invented in the states and has nothing to do with "South African Culture", although it has been an adopted statement that its a culture. If there was perhaps a better screening process for the use of such an "instrument" such as perhaps upon the scoring of a goal everyone can go ape with a vuvuzela people would not complain. But consistantly using the thing without any purpose other than just making a damn noise is a pathetic disgrace to South Africa! Granted it's fun, and granted it's a cheap and effective item to use, I just feel the timing is the problem, if, as i said above, we only used such a thing at the correct times such as scoring a goal, it would make more sense. But again, this is my personal opinion, please if I offended anyone, understand that I am only voicing my side.
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