Reporting from Johannesburg, South Africa — As South Africa gears up to host next year's soccer World Cup, there are plenty of doomsayers predicting the worst. If transportation shortages don't ruin the event, crime will. The beer will run out. Or the stadiums will be half empty.
But no one expected an ugly plastic trumpet to dominate the controversy.
Hatred of the vuvuzela, the noisemaker wielded by South African soccer fans, ignited the blogosphere even before the FIFA Confederations Cup, the country's dry run for 2010, which ends today when the U.S. national team plays Brazil for the championship.
During the current tournament, foreign players, coaches and journalists have called for a ban of the vuvuzela. There is debate about whether it's a unique part of South African culture, and therefore untouchable, or just a cheap plastic import that makes a lot of noise, like an electric air horn or a whistle.
One vuvuzela -- a loud, tuneless blast -- sounds something like a foghorn. But a stadium full of vuvuzelas, all tooting simultaneously, is either a most exhilarating and exciting sound or a noise so irritating that it borders on being painful, depending on the listener.
It's been compared to a deafening swarm of wasps. Or a herd of flatulent elephants.
The vuvuzela ranges in length from 2 to 3 feet. The longer it is, the harder it is to blow.
Video clips of groups playing the vuvuzela like a melodic instrument can be found on YouTube. But a more accurate sound clip is found on the website www.boogieblast.co.za "> www.boogieblast.co.za , which claims to be the trumpet's original distributor.
Boogieblast's sales pitch: "Remember . . . you only hate them if you don't have one."
Mike Greenberg of the ESPN radio sports show "Mike and Mike" is one of the vuvuzela's loudest detractors. He said the sound at a recent match was "excruciating."
"It never ends," Greenberg said on the air. "And it is like you are being attacked by a swarm of locusts for 90 consecutive minutes."
"I know what you're talking about," said co-host Mike Golic. "How can they constantly do that?"
Spanish soccer player Xabi Alonso called for a ban of vuvuzelas at the 2010 World Cup, according to South African newspaper The Times. So did Dutch Coach Bert Van Marwijk, Reuters reported.
