The Austrian professional football league on Thursday imposed a stadium ban on the long plastic trumpet, the vuvuzela, which made such a noisy impression in last month’s Confederations Cup in South Africa.
But the league said the vuvuzelas were being banned not for the deafening and tuneless din they produce but because they might be used as missiles.
“Vuvuzelas can be used as projectiles. Furthermore, they can incite aggressive behaviour amongst other fans,” Austrian league spokesman Christian Kircher said.
Newly-promoted Wiener Neustadt had been counting on handing out 150 vuvuzelas to fans to make some noise during the league’s seasonal kick-off at home on Friday against Austria Carinthia.
The trumpets caused consternation among some in South Africa for the Confed Cup, with several non-African players and coaches calling for their ban.
But the president of world football’s governing body FIFA, Sepp Blatter, has given them his blessing, blasting the detractors by telling them Africa is about dance and music and that moaning about the instrument bordered on discrimination.
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July 17, 2009
Good! I hate those annoying things! They should ban them from every FIFA sanctioned match, they serve no purpose but to sound stupid. A lot of countries have rich heritages in song and dance, vuvuzelas are simply annoying noise makers!
July 17, 2009
Viva Vuvuzelas!
blow on that adam
July 17, 2009
Each and every country has his own culture, so please nobody can say it makes noise. Everything from African you the europeans’ have something aganist it, you better mind your business, because you did not introduce it you are jealsous about it. We are proud of our culture and it can never be banned.