Vuvuzela

[metlika]

Pretty sure we will be getting similar noises in Euro 2012 especially in the Ukraine, enjoy

[TM]

the ticketing allocations are not really that dis-similar to what happened in Japan/South Korea in 2002 to be honest, it should be the local fans who make up the majority because similar to 2002 when it was Asia's World Cup, in 2010 this is Africa's World Cup.

[Orion Dean]

Adds Atmostphere? what?

[jmr]

Aren't the ticket allocations the same as every world cup? Each FA gets around 4-5k and any they dont sale goes back to the local population, which is how it should be. The big difference here is at past world cups you'd have the locals picking a team and dancing along with their colours, now it's changed to blowing a horn, disappointing really as all the colour and carnival atmosphere has gone.

[Deltaroad]

Ha they made a really really big one and it works too.

[dafuge]

It does seem to make the games less individual, they all sound the same instead of different atmospheres of different fans

I agree. They sounded pretty great during the opening match but it just didn't feel right hearing them all the way through the second match, I'd rather be hearing the France/Uruguay fans, even if there were only a few of them.

The other point (which has already been made) is that I'm used to hearing a unique noise made when a goal is scored, this time it sounded just the same but a bit louder.

[Machadaynu]

I'll put up with anything if it drowns out The Great Escape, Ring of Fire and Self Preservation Society.

[Chongtom]

For the S. Africa game it sounded great but pretty average for the France-Uruguay.

I just hope that at altitude and as the match wears on, they get tired and give up.

[Icondacarver]

disappointing really as all the colour and carnival atmosphere has gone.

What the hell are you talking about? Have you been watching the thing?

Yes, we get that you hate the Vuvuzela but stop picking points out of la-la land.

[gunner4eva]

I'll put up with anything if it drowns out The Great Escape, Ring of Fire and Self Preservation Society.

Thats the kind of thing i love though, we all agree its absolutely **** but its just incredibly British and i love hearing that belting out at a match.

fwiw i understand Gregg that my idea is completely unworkable but we can all dream of an ideal world eh

[Meitheisman]

and i'll say again.

What happens if all those allocations ARE taken up by the fans of those countries? What if you have that happen for every country?

South Africa would be crippled from the influx of tourists. They've not have the ability to house all of those people in the hotels, they'd not have the transport infrastructure to support all of those tourists, nor any other facilities required to ensure a safe and enjoyable stay.

It's a nice idea in theory to mainly have the fans from the participating countries, but it's completely unrealistic and unworkable.

The participating teams have the highest chance of getting tickets to their games of anybody interested in going to a World Cup beyond the host nation fans. It'll be the same in 2018 if England get it too. FIFA have to balance several different issues when deciding on World Cup ticketing and you're never going to satisfy everybody.

Its absolutely important that the host nation gets favoured in the ticketing allocations, because it's a large part of the point of bringing the World Cup to that nation in the first place.

I agree with the fact that citizens of the host nation should have access to many tickets but I also agree with gunner4eva that fans of the teams playing should have the option to buy a majority of the seats because that's what makes the atmosphere. I've been to world cup games in France in 1998 and most Frenchies were just sitting their quiet whilst it was the Colombians/ Romanians... making the game enjoyable. I distinctly remember a Colombian woman yelling at a Romanian guy in the stands of Gerland and that was probably my best memory of the world cup. Not seeing some Frenchies in the stadium like I did every other Saturday.

And regarding SA not being able to handle that many tourists we simply shouldn't ever give the WC to a country that cannot handle what comes with it. The WC is not a charity event, it's supposed to be the pinnacle of the biggest sport in the world.

[PMLF]

The WC is not a charity event, it's supposed to be the pinnacle of the biggest sport in the world.

It would still be even if there were no fans at all at the stadiums, football is played on the pitch, not outside it.

[samb_95]

I dont mind it tbh, not only that i hardly notice it, it also blocks out the awful commentating sometimes.

[Icondacarver]

And regarding SA not being able to handle that many tourists we simply shouldn't ever give the WC to a country that cannot handle what comes with it. The WC is not a charity event, it's supposed to be the pinnacle of the biggest sport in the world.

If that was the case then the World Cup would be in Europe every 2 out of 3 events forever (i guess thats the subtext you were aiming for).

The sending of the World Cup to South Africa is needed to boost the confidence of that continent to be active in the handling of big global events. Sense of pride is crucial to develpment and this is a good start which will be followed by an African Olympics.

Even if South Africa could handle tons of tourists, it would mean tons of Africans who would also be blowing different variants of that same horn and trust me some of the west and central african horns sound as loud.

[gunner4eva]

But surely if it was between a country like South Africa and a country in Europe that had the infrastructure in place and wouldn't have any problems with tourism income etc etc then the European country should get it. Like Meith says, the competition is about the best of the best at football coming together to fight it out, its not the red cross.

Don't get me wrong, South Africa have done a brilliant job as hosts and have exceeded my expecatations but its the fans and their trumpets which are making it bad for me, they were brilliant in the South Africa, Mexico game but there is absolutely no need for them to be in the France Uruguay game.

[PMLF]

But surely if it was between a country like South Africa and a country in Europe that had the infrastructure in place and wouldn't have any problems with tourism income etc etc then the European country should get it. Like Meith says, the competition is about the best of the best at football coming together to fight it out, its not the red cross.

Don't get me wrong, South Africa have done a brilliant job as hosts and have exceeded my expecatations but its the fans and their trumpets which are making it bad for me, they were brilliant in the South Africa, Mexico game but there is absolutely no need for them to be in the France Uruguay game.

Why not just play all WCs in the USA then?

They are far more capable than everybody else to host WCs.

But seriously, the WC is a world event, you have to have teams from all over the world and you have to play it all over the world, otherwise why should non-Euros participate then?

[gunner4eva]

Yeah i agree and my post was worded badly tbh but what i was trying to get across is that we shouldn't have just chosen South Africa as the host just because we felt that we should give a team from Africa the chance and if they have to give tickets to locals to make money from tourism then its too much of a risk to have there, whereas in centrally located places such as Germany 2006 there were thousands of fans from all over the world. The atmosphere at the Germany v Holland game in the World Cup was breathtaking and we wont see an atmosphere like that in this World Cup because of the distribution of the fans and their horns.

If a country has the capability of hosting a WC whatever continent its in then it should be allowed to host it of course but the fact that this WC in South Africa has struggled to sell tickets since day 1 and the France Uruguay game from what i saw looked quite a bare stadium (i havent seen actual figures of this though). Whereas going back to Germany in 2006, every game was a near-on sell out.

[Meitheisman]

No, plenty of countries outside of Europe have the capacity to host the WC properly and I might sound harsh but the lack of confidence in Africa (or anywhere else) should not be a reason to give them the WC.

[Smallen]

Big vuvuzela looks really cool

[gunner4eva]

Take the big vuvuzela away and that would be a great crash junction on Burnout 3

[PMLF]

Yeah i agree and my post was worded badly tbh but what i was trying to get across is that we shouldn't have just chosen South Africa as the host just because we felt that we should give a team from Africa the chance and if they have to give tickets to locals to make money from tourism then its too much of a risk to have there, whereas in centrally located places such as Germany 2006 there were thousands of fans from all over the world. The atmosphere at the Germany v Holland game in the World Cup was breathtaking and we wont see an atmosphere like that in this World Cup because of the distribution of the fans and their horns.

If a country has the capability of hosting a WC whatever continent its in then it should be allowed to host it of course but the fact that this WC in South Africa has struggled to sell tickets since day 1 and the France Uruguay game from what i saw looked quite a bare stadium (i havent seen actual figures of this though). Whereas going back to Germany in 2006, every game was a near-on sell out.

No, plenty of countries outside of Europe have the capacity to host the WC properly and I might sound harsh but the lack of confidence in Africa (or anywhere else) should not be a reason to give them the WC.

I think the mistake is expecting every WC to be like Germany's, the bar is not really set that high. South Africa meet the requirements needed to host a WC, which is more than enough to host it, then don't need to do like Germany.

[Meitheisman]

Of course the standard shouldn't be as high as Germany 06 but it should be higher than what SA can do if as Gregg said they're already at full capacity of tourists even though tickets for almost every game are still available.

[Icondacarver]

Firstly South Africa gets a lot of tourism and handles it well. The lack of foreign fans is less to do with the country not coping, but more to do with fans staying away due to fear of crime.

These things are always highly exaggerated by those who just dont want to see the cup staying in certain places.

If it was about the best infrastructure, safety etc then the cup would be rotated between Germany and U.S.A. People have picked one thing after another to criticise this World Cup most especially from certain parts of Europe. Its okay, we get it that you dont want it there and you will attack infrastructure, stadium design, opening ceremony, Vuvuzela, crowd attendances.

All said and done it has gone to South Africa, so grin and bear it and in 4 years time in Brazil just grin and bear it then you can all be happy in 8 years when its back in Europe. Hold on it might be going to Russia (Western Europe faints) and 4 years after that either Australia or USA.

Now makes sense why people are calling for it to only be given to certain nations, well tough just watch the football.

[pouncer]

Any previous concerns I had about the vuvuzela are gone. They are fantastic. Flat atmosphere or not, they are African so they can stay. Simple.

In the South Africa game they were slightly off putting, but that's because it was the host nation. It wasn't really a problem. The Uruguay-France game was quieter, but they still were OK. I just love them. I don't know why. Sorry.

[Meitheisman]

I find your accusations not only wrong but also way over the top. I never said that the WC should stay in certain places and I'm pretty happy about it being in Brazil next time fwiw. You almost make me sound like anti-Africa when all I was arguing was that I'd want more fans from the teams playing than from the host nation in the stadium. I even used an example in France for that so I reall don't care who the hosts are in that debate.

Regarding tourism capacity being able to provide a safe environment for all tourists is part of the standard requirement for a WC in my eyes at least.

[tcoleman1]

Any previous concerns I had about the vuvuzela are gone. They are fantastic. Flat atmosphere or not, they are African so they can stay. Simple.

In the South Africa game they were slightly off putting, but that's because it was the host nation. It wasn't really a problem. The Uruguay-France game was quieter, but they still were OK. I just love them. I don't know why. Sorry.

Don't apologise they are amazing and to me I love the sound of buzz. It's better than hearing a few people chanting Bought one myself in fact from Sainsbury's however they are harder to play than you think

[pouncer]

Don't apologise they are amazing and to me I love the sound of buzz. It's better than hearing a few people chanting Bought one myself in fact from Sainsbury's however they are harder to play than you think

Same, I've got one. They are quite difficult, it's a bit of an art but I'm getting the hang of it. I find they make a lot of fluid move in my jaw, it's really strange. They are good though, don't think I'm going to be brave enough to take it to the pub tomorrow though

[CaptainPlanet]

Most likely going to ruin the coverage for me. I get annoyed when the printer on the other side of the office beeps because it's out of paper... a constant hornets nest drone I just can't get past when watching games.

Having to choose between it and mute aren't really fun options.

[Qolumbo]

I chose to watch the second match on mute, which was the lesser evil.

Is there anywhere I can get commentary without the horrible background noise?

[Ruud van Nistelrooy]

Not really a fan of them, don't notice them as such as they fade into the background but would much rather hear a proper crowd noise.

[Trildor]

Don't really bother me, but I'd rather have chanting or singing than a nonstop buzzing sound.

[brett.spurs]

God you are so dull gregg.

Personally I'm not bothered by them, as ham said, it's people moaning about them that annoys me.

[Zvonimir Boban]

Anything that drowns out the sounds of the BBC and ITV commentators gets a big thumbs up from me

[Splendifornia]

icondacarver staying solid on the if you hate vuvuzelas, you're some kind of neocolonialist front.

[fdawsoniv]

I don't mind them per se, but I do agree that I miss the ebb and flow of the crowd noise. It's nice to have something different than chanting/singing and I think you get used to it, but the constant volume and the fact that it drowns out what any other culture's fans might want to make it a thumb's down from me.

[Dr_dR3]

They're awful and should be banned.

They do not add atmosphere, they take away the atmosphere. You can't hear the crowd chanting, which is part of the game, you just hear this monotone noise all the time.

It's disrespectful that they blow them during the national anthems as well.

[gunner4eva]

Yeah they were good in the SA game anthems wise but it did annoy me when during the French anthem they started blowing them, respect the anthems or have your fricking horn confiscated should be the rule.

[elsgouro]

Vuvuzelas could be very well used by CIA as one of their torture methods, I mean I would spit everything in no time. I wonder what the hell the human rights watch is doing about it. It doesn't sound like a football game, but like a convoy of trucks.

[gunner4eva]

Louder than a chainsaw

[Samba Magician]

First time I've ever heard them and I actually don't mind them at all. I actually thought they were ok and didn't annoy me at all

[Ackter]

I love hearing bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWbzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[aggressive minor]

I didn't think it'd bother me. But they actually do!

[Simpo]

I am flabbergasted anyone actually muted the sound.

I only noticed it when it was brought up by commentators, and it's not as if World Cup games are usually known for their funny chants or loud partisan support.

Some people are just naturally negative I suppose, and even during the glorious month-long festival of football, well be determined to latch on to something negative and decide it spils things for them. They could die, go to heaven, and they'd moan about the shade of white.

SA goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune on his side's opening-day draw with Mexico:

"I'm disappointed that we didn't blow a lot of vuvuzelas, but let's hope in the next game we'll blow more. There were not enough. It was more like a Mexico home game."

[Worcester City Researcher]

Didn't even realise that Korea had scored there - as there was no discernible roar from the crowd thanks to the horns buzzing away.

As for them blowing them during the anthems - gtf

[Confused Clarity]

God you are so dull gregg.

Personally I'm not bothered by them, as ham said, it's people moaning about them that annoys me.

Why the personal attack on me?

[Confused Clarity]

I am flabbergasted anyone actually muted the sound.

I only noticed it when it was brought up by commentators, and it's not as if World Cup games are usually known for their funny chants or loud partisan sport.

Some people are just naturally negative I suppose, and even during the glorious month-long festival of football, well be determined to latch on to something negative and decide it spils things for them. They could die, go to heaven, and they'd moan about the shade of white.

SA goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune on his side's opening-day draw with Mexico:

"I'm disappointed that we didn't blow a lot of vuvuzelas, but let's hope in the next game we'll blow more. There were not enough. It was more like a Mexico home game."

Indeed.

Infact, I much prefer the Vuvuzela's than everybody in the crowd chanting the bass line to Seven Nation Army over and over and over again like we did at the last World Cup.

[Paul Bacon]

tbh there not too bad on TV, but if you were there i can imagine it being annoying. But banning them is a very arrogant way of thinking

[djvandyke]

I don’t find them annoying in the slightest but wouldn’t like them over in England. They create a unique atmosphere to this particular world cup.

[Lermon]

they seem to be twice as annoying in an annoying game.

[dafuge]

It would be nice if they could at least keep them quiet during the national anthems.