Many of the concerns that were expressed when the World Cup was awarded to South Africa have already been allayed in the first week of a dramatic Confederations Cup. The facilities seem up to scratch, there have been no major travel issues and the local people have taken to the warm-up tournament with great enthusiasm. What's more, the 'top nations from each continent' (the tournament itself is a farce really, but that's an altogether different matter) have produced some thrilling games of football and some top drama that wouldn't look out of place at next summers global showpiece.
Egypt's win over Italy and controversial last minute defeat to Brazil were definite turn ons for the global audience of TV viewers and bode well for 2010. But the tournament is currently in danger of being viewed with the mute button firmly pressed down all across Europe and other parts of the globe. All because the South Africans are getting pretty darn horny.
Comparable to a persistent wasp on a perfect summers day in both noise and level of annoyance, the 'vuvuzelas' have proved to be an unexpected nuisance for those armchair fans who weren't previously au fait with South African football culture.
For those of you who haven't seen any coverage of the competition yet, the vuvuzela is basically a large, annoying horn and pretty much every South African inside the grounds appears to have one. While I admire their enthusiasm, the fact that they blow them unrelentingly throughout the ninety minutes can really begin to grate. The noise that thousands of these horns create is akin to the drone of an enormous swarm of bees, which is unsurprising given that vuvuzela is believed to be Zulu for 'making noise'.
“the 'vuvuzelas' have proved to be an unexpected nuisance for those armchair fans who weren't previously au fait with South African football culture”
Some callers rang up the BBC complaining of a 'wasp-like interference' on the audio coverage, while hundreds have complained. Is all this fuss about what is essentially a part of South African culture just Western arrogance, as some South Africans have suggested? Personally, I don't think so.
I find it incredibly difficult to accept that anyone enjoys listening to the swarm of noise that the vuvuzelas create. European crowds have embraced all sorts of instruments from steel drums to trumpets, rattles to air horns. But the key has been that this is the first time a crowd has created noise, rather than music or rhythm. The pounding of a drum may annoy some people, but it's rhythm encourages crowd participation and singing. All the vuvuzelas do is drown everything else out. Even goal celebrations are muted by the noise.
There have been calls to ban the horns from games in the 2010 World Cup, but Sepp Blatter, never one to listen to common consensus, has immediately ruled out such restrictions. While there will be less local people inside the stadiums when the big event kicks off next year, there is every chance that the horns will be sold en masse to visiting supporters or worse still, given away, outside the grounds.
Ultimately it is South Africa’s World Cup and it will be up to the country’s authorities whether they want to pander to the concerns of European TV broadcasters. My guess is they will stand their ground so a summer of holding our ears awaits.
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