Invented some 20 years ago, the vuvuzela sometimes called lepatata, is one meter long, hated by Christiano Ronaldo and Patrice Evra, but admired by the soccer fans and branded by MTN, the official sponsor of this the South African 2010 World cup. Medical practitioners have even advised fans to exercise caution when in use for fear of a flu spread.
The LOC announced over the weekend that it would ban the use of the vuvuzela should there be enough reason to do so. This tournament had been slated to generate lots of discussions around the galaxy of stars paraded by the participating teams, instead, there are a lot more talks surrounding the noisy musical instrument and the Jabulani ball manufactured by Adidas. For Fifa, this does not sound encouraging in terms of the hype it wants to generate around the game of football.
As a fan myself I find it annoying sometimes, although I think it is a special object that will make the tournament different from all previous ones. Fifa has asked fans not to blow the vuvuzela during national anthems and public announcements at the stadium, I think this restriction should go a step further to reduce the noise levels. I cant predict accurately, but I think if Fifa and the South African LOC would want to make the South African word cup enjoyable, then something must be done about the swarm!
