Banish the vuvuzela from the World Cup, say Birmingham football fans

Jun 15 2010 by Paul Suart, Birmingham Mail

SILENCE the vuvuzela!

That the was the near-unanimous plea from football watchers in Birmingham over the controversial horn which has been the constant accompaniment to all the World Cup action.

Likened to the constant drone of a thousand bees, the South African instrument has been accused of drowning out traditional crowd noise and ruining the atmosphere at the tournament’s games.

It has been criticised by television viewers the world over and even by star players including Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

And England supporters in Brum agreed, saying the racket had them reaching for the TV mute button.

James O’Farrell, from Sutton Coldfield, said he had watched all the matches so far but was being driven to distraction by the vuvuzela. The 27-year-old salesman said: “I’m having to put the TV down low and listen to radio commentary.”

Martin Moore, a 38-year-old teacher from Wolverhampton, said he was also taking a similar approach to games. “It is really irritating to be honest,” he said. “The metal ones actually sound quite good but not the cheap plastic ones.”

Joe Pallett, a 20-year-old student from Hall Green, said: “It was a pretty constant noise all the way through the England match.

“It’s not as interesting a sound as proper musical instruments and it’s not something I’d go out and buy.”

England fan Ahmed Raheem, 29, a sales assistant from Newtown, said: “It’s a major problem for the players because they can’t concentrate.”

Naomi Hall, a 16-year-old sales assistant from Castle Vale, said: “We bought one for a relative because he had lost his voice.

“They can be quite annoying when you’re trying to watch the matches.”

The only note of support was struck by Gemma Kelly, an 18-year-old student from Maypole.

She said: “I don’t like it when it is blown for the sake of it but I think it is quite good when goals are scored.”