World Cup: Fifa rules out a ban on vuvuzelas

Vuvuzelas will not be banned at the World Cup despite the fearsome din the plastic trumpets make inside and outside the stadia, organisers said on Monday.

"Vuvuzelas are here to stay and will never be banned," said Rich Mkhondo, a spokesperson for the local World Cup organising committee.

"People love the vuvuzelas around the world," he said. "Only a minority are against vuvuzelas. There has never been a consideration to ban vuvuzelas."

Mkhondo was reacting to a BBC report that chief World Cup organiser Danny Jordaan had not ruled out banning the most talked about instrument in this World Cup.

The plastic trumpet has been controversial since the Confederations Cup last year, a World Cup dress rehearsal, when several players complained they could not communicate through the din, which sounds like a herd of charging elephants.

Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk has banned them from his team's training sessions.

South Africa's star striker Steven Pienaar admitted on Thursday that even the host team, which is used to the sound, had been deafened by the drone of the trumpets at a recent friendly.

"When we were playing Colombia we couldn't hear each other," he told a press conference.

But FIFA president Sepp Blatter rejected calls for them to be banned, saying they are as typical of South African football as bongo drums or chants in other countries.

On Monday, he again sprang to the defence of the much-maligned vuvuzela. Writing on his new Twitter feed SeppBlatter, he said: "To answer all your messages (regarding) the vuvuzelas. I have always said that Africa has a different rhythm, a different sound.

"I don't see banning the music traditions of fans in their own country. Would you want to see a ban on the fan traditions in your country?"

Mkhondo echoed Blatter's view. "Look at them as part of our culture in South Africa to celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup," he said. "As our guests, please embrace our culture, please embrace the way we celebrate."

He said vuvuzelas were also being used by fans from other countries — a view backed up by the enormous extra demand seen by vuvuzela outlets across South Africa.

"It seems like the bad publicity has been good for us," said Brandon Bernado, owner of the vuvuzela.co.za website and a factory he said could churn out at least 10,000 of the instruments every day.

"We're completely sold out. Every time we manufacture more, the next morning by nine we're sold out," he told Reuters.

The vuvuzela industry is worth 50 million rand ($6.45 million) in South Africa and Europe, according to Cape Town-based Neil van Schalkwyk, who developed the vuvuzela seven years ago.