So, the infamous vuvuzelas will officially be permitted at World Cup venues after noise tests at Soccer City stadium, the site of the final. It’s the right decision in terms of protecting South African football heritage, not to mention and provide a big boost in games featuring the host nation, but also ensure that thousands of people will be exposed to dangerously loud noise at every match. Even on television, as anyone who watched last year’s Confederations Cup of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations can attest, the droning sound can be annoying at high volume, which is a shame because I prefer watching sporting spectacles loud enough to hear the crowd…assuming they’re chanting and singing, not blowing their lungs out on the same cheap, plastic horn I once bought at a Hamilton Tiger-Cats game in 1987.
Ian Harrison