-
A South Africa supporter blows his vuvuzela - Source: Reuters
It is the most annoying sound since True Bliss but should
FIFA ban the vuvuzela? Two of tvnz.co.nz's sport writers go
head-to-head in a debate once again for argument's sake
Ban the boorish monotony
By Max Bania
Silence is golden. Pure white noise, on the other hand, is a $5 plastic tube.
For sheer boorish monotony, the endless cacophony of vuvuzelas at the World Cup comes close to rivalling the sound of 30,000 heretofore taciturn New Zealanders painfully slurring "I don't know-oh-oh-oh, why does love do this to me?"
The difference is that while our loose homage to the Exponents standard represents the beginning and end of our lyrical repertoire, the vuvuzelas are drowning out so much more than that.
The terrific colour and vibrancy in the crowd at World Cups is often the highlight of the viewing (and hearing) experience for the casual observer; particularly in match-ups that don't exactly qualify as glamour fixtures (and let's face it, it's difficult to develop much in the way of an emotional attachment to Algeria v Slovenia).
Yes, the fanatical supporters are all there this time - except that now it's like watching them with the mute button on.
The official party line is that the obnoxious horns are "synonymous with South African football fans" and an intrinsic part of their footballing culture.
So what? So are many of the Rainbow Nation's stirring national ballads, such as Shoshaloza, the wonderfully-compelling song made popular by slave labourers and now made famous by the players themselves, who sing it before their games.
Who knows, perhaps the impassioned local fans in the stands are singing that too. They may as well not bother.
So loud are the horns that they could in fact be doing serious damage to their owners and any poor sods in the immediate vicinity.
Pre-tournament tests conducted in a sound-proof studio measured the vuvuzelas at 127 decibels - roughly the equivalent of a shotgun being discharged over your left ear for an hour and a half. It's generally accepted that prolongued exposure to anything louder than 90 decibels could lead to hearing loss.
Perhaps that would be a blessing. Then we wouldn't hear those blasted horns ever again.
Stop your complaining
By Chris Matthews
Okay, let's get one thing clear: I'm not a fan of the shambolic sound that is deafening millions of football fans around the world.
I find vuvuzelas irritating and I must confess that I'm considering watching some of the upcoming World Cup matches with either the TV on mute or maybe with a little of bit of True Bliss on the side.
But then again there's lots of sounds in this sporting world that I'm not too fond of: The cow-bells at Waikato Stadium, Scousers supporting Liverpool, Chris Brown singing the American national anthem before the biggest BOXING bout of the year and - trust me - the list goes on...
However does that mean we should ban them? Well if we had it my way - yes and there is the point.
You see, this sort of thing is always a subjective matter. For every 100 vuvuzela haters there is at least one vuvuzela lover, ear plug manufacturers for instance, but in all seriousness these hell horns do have cultural significance.
Vuvuzelas are derived from the southern African Kudu horn, which was originally made from the horn of an antelope and used to call villagers to meetings to announce other traditional occasions.
Fair enough - I hear you say - and if this is the sound of Africa calling the world to its grand land, so be it.
Next year, of course, the much more serious occasion of the Rugby World Cup will take place on these humble shores and just to put this whole debate into context, imagine if the world said "put your powhiri and haka away - we find them annoying".
So anyway with three more weeks of this World Cup to go - stop your complaining and celebrate the beautiful game with a collection of your favourite musical tracks. Now where is that Joe Cotton number?
What argument do you side with? Have your say below!
Add a Comment:
Post new commentRustyreggae said on 2010-06-18 @ 21:03 NZDT: Report abusive post
Of course not!! Hey, this world cup is in Africa and this is what Africa does at football games. Besides it should only last during the group stages. I am sure the Vuvuzelas will not be as prominent in the next stages.
frshhh said on 2010-06-18 @ 20:33 NZDT: Report abusive post
Chris Brown/National Anthem? - You're comparing a 3.5 minute slice of mild annoyance to a 1.5 hour slab of pure tinnitus? So how does that work exactly? Maybe if he sang it DURING the bout, and for all 12 rounds, you'd have a point... But he doesn't, so you don't. BAN THEM!
frshhh said on 2010-06-18 @ 20:28 NZDT: Report abusive post
Singing Scousers (or any opposition fans) - sing over them then! or even better, subvert them - that's the joy of footy chanting and why its fair. Heck, I can remember an England V USA match where the US fans continually chanted "USA *clap* *clap*" - The English supplemented the claps with well timed, ahem, four letter rebuttals... "USA..." "...F OFF". The Americans soon stopped. It's playful banter x 50000.
frshhh said on 2010-06-18 @ 20:04 NZDT: Report abusive post
1 - the vuvuzela may be derived from a traditional horn used by herdsmen - but it is NOT a football tradition. They were first used by Kaiser Chief fans in the late '90s and were adopted by Bafana Bafana supporters some time around 2000-01. 10 years does not make a tradition!