George Johnson, Calgary Herald DURBAN, South Africa —_Wasn’t the whole point of this exercise, of bringing the World Cup to this far-flung, non-traditional soccer land in the first place, that South Africa could show the rest of the planet its culture, its heritage, its soul? So the nation could, in effect, blow its own horn? And now they’re contemplating taking that horn away from them? World Cup 2010 organizing chief Danny Jordaan told the BBC the trademark vuvuzelas could be banned before this World Cup is over because players and TV viewers are complaining. Too noisy, apparently. French captain Patrice Evra has actually blamed his side’s opening-match tie against Uruguay on the metre-long plastic trumpets that cost 20 rand ($2.50 Cdn) on any street corner. “We can’t sleep at night because of the vuvuzelas,” he whinged. “People start playing them from 6 a.m. We can’t hear one another out on the pitch because of them.” The griping, amazingly enough, is becoming more and more widespread. Giampaolo Pazzini of Italy, a World Cup rookie no less, has called for a ban. “They make an incredible racket,” he moaned. “I can only imagine what it’ll be like with 30,000. My teammates told me that last year it was hellish during the Confederations Cup. It may not look like it, but a football pitch is like a marketplace full of people shouting important instructions and the referee’s whistle. “If all this is drowned out by the sound of the vuvuzelas, then it can be a problem. We’ll have to be even more focused and concentrated.”
The caterwauling has apparently caught the ear of FIFA. “If there are grounds to do so, yes,” Jordaan told the BBC. “We did say that if any land on the pitch in anger we will take action. We’ve tried to get some order. “We have asked for no vuvuzelas during national anthems or stadium announcements. It’s difficult, but we’re trying to manage the best we can. “We’ve had some broadcasters and individuals (complaining) and it’s something we are evaluating on an ongoing basis.”
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