A South African man plays the vuvuzela, large coloured plastic trumpet, in the stands before the Fifa Confederations Cup football match Spain vs South Africa on June 20, 2009 at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. AFP PHOTO / ROBERTO SCHMIDTAFP / Getty Images
The noisy vuvuzela trumpet-type instrument blown incessantly by fans during Confederations Cup matches should not be allowed in the stadiums, Dutch coach Bert Van Marwijk said.
"At home watching TV it really was annoying, but in the stadiums you get used to it but it is still unpleasant," Van Marwikj, who is on a fact-finding tour before next year's World Cup finals, told reporters at the hotel his team will use next year.
"You want to coach your players during the match but it is almost impossible with that noise. So for me the horns can stay outside the stadium."
TV broadcasters, viewers watching Confederations Cup matches at home around the world and Xabi Alonso, the Spanish midfielder as well as ordinary fans have all complained about the monotonous, tuneless sound of the vuvezela.
It has sparked a furious debate in the local media with its defenders saying it is an integral part of South Africa's football culture. Other commentators say it is a recently new phenomonon intrdocued as a marketing tool in the past few years.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said last week the world governing body had no plans to ban the instrument from Confederations Cup matches. He said FIFA and the local organising committee would meet after the Confederations Cup to discuss whether it should be banned next year.
Blatter is against the idea of a ban saying that "we should not try to europeanise an African World Cup," but thousands of fans around the world have e-mailed FIFA over the last week urging them to ban the instrument.
One suggestion is that they should just be allowed at South Africa's matches.
Alonso, the Spanish midfielder said this week that the noise made it difficult for players to concentrate and communicate with each other while playing and did nothing for the atmosphere inside the stadium.
(Editing by John Mehaffey; To comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
Story ID: LK708928
Reuters 2009-06-20 11:48:20 GMT