UEFA bans Vuvuzelas Europe-wide

The European football governing body UEFA has decided to ban the Vuvuzela from all matches organised by them. This means no Vuvuzela's will be allowed at venues for the 2012 European Championship qualifiers, the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League. And fans turning-up with a Vuvuzela will have to hand the plastic trumpet in before entering the venue.

And the reason behind this move? UEFA is banning the Vuvuzela to protect as they call it "Europe's football culture". And rightly so! European football atmosphere is about chanting, singing, emotions on the stands which reach the players and it is a two way interaction. At the World Cup initially the Vuvuzela's were so loud that watching matches even on the television was a pain for the ears, while players said that they couldn't communicate with each other on the pitch.

UEFA said about the move, "UEFA has informed its 53 member associations that it has taken the move for reasons related to Europe's football culture and tradition, saying that the atmosphere at matches would be changed by the sound of the Vuvuzela.

The World Cup was characterised by the Vuvuzela's widespread and permanent use in the stands. In the specific context of South Africa, the Vuvuzela adds a touch of local flavour and folklore, but UEFA feels that the instrument's widespread use would not be appropriate in Europe, where a continuous loud background noise would be emphasised."

It is surely a step in the right direction. Some clubs like Borussia Dortmund have already banned Vuvuzela's from their stadiums, the 2012 London Olympics will not allow Vuvuzela's to enter any venues, while organisers of sports events and music festivals from the planet have done the same. The Vuvuzela hopefully will remain only in our minds as one of the bad nuances of an otherwise great atmospheric 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Here an older post from me during the 2010 FIFA World Cup about Vuvuzela - a curse?

Vuvuzela - a curse?

The roaring sound of the Vuvuzela is set to become the sound of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. But after the first day matches one questions if this sound pollution can continue throughout the whole tournament. FIFA and South Africa might be forced to press in action as protests are likely to increase.

Surely the Vuvuzela is part of South African football culture, but even while watching the matches on the television it is a persistent noise which does disturb the whole football experience. At least it seems to be a problem to me and a number of persons I have spoken to. And another problem is listening to the commentators has become difficulty with such strong sound in the background.

Someone from Asia told me last night that they actually couldn't understand the commentary even through the commentator was trying his best shouting into the microphone.
And if we feel like this, how is then the live experience in the stadium?

In South Africa Dutch national coach Bert van Marwijk has gone to the extent to bann Vuvuzela's from the training of his team. Van Marwijk's simple explanation, I need to communicate with my players and under such circumstances I cannot do so.
Others might follow in the coming days. One remembers that the Spaniards had complaint about it last year during the Confederations Cup and some had even asked for a ban of the Vuvuzela.

In Europe the Vuvuzela is a topic for heated debates. Here in Germany the Vuvuzela has been banned by a number of cities and public viewing venues as they say it is a risk to the ears. In Cologne city people will be fined if found blowing into the Vuvuzela.

Tests meanwhile have proven that the sound of the Vuvuzela is far too loud for the human ear. It is capable of reaching levels of up to 130 decibel, which is above tolerance levels which can cause hearing problems and even ear pain. And that is surely something which we don't want. We want to enjoy the experience and charm of the football World Cup.