Tottenham Hotspurs ban Vuvuzelas at White Hart Lane
Stadium Horn, commonly known as a Vuvuzela, is a plastic blowing horn, which is approximately 2 ft long. It was first seen in the 2009 Confederations cup in South Africa, and was mainly used to call on villagers for a community meeting. It was seen to be used in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and has been a subject of controversy ever since. It has the ability to cause permanent damage to hearing owing to its loudness, and can produce sound pressure up to 120 decibels, which is the threshold of pain.
It was to be banned in the FIFA World Cup, but South African authorities argued that it was part and parcel of the whole South African experience. It was therefore allowed in the 2009 confederations Cup as well as the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, claiming that taking the Vuvuzela’s away from Africa would be to “Europeanise” things, and is what the South African Football experience is all about.
The sheer noise of the horn led to many fans and spectators calling for a ban. TV commentators and Radio broadcasters found it hard to override the noise, and mostly, only the noise of the Vuvuzela’s could be heard. It all raised some serious health and safety issues. It was assumed that the consistent noise that the horn created disrupted the rest time of the players, leading to poor team performances. It was also seen that the noise created by the horns led to poor communication between players on the field, and led to lack of concentration. The demand for ear plugs increased massively in the World Cup, leading to shortages in pharmacies.
The issues and concerns regarding this matter led to various sports competitions and events banning the instruments. The issue was raised by many football players and teams who participated in the World Cup, which led to many other sporting events banning the horn. These include, Wimbledon, 2012 London Olympics, 2011 Rugby World Cup, and 2011 Formula one season amongst others. So much so that the government of the UAE has prohibited the use of the horn in public, owing to Islamic teachings stating that “never do or cause harm”.
On 20th July, Premier League club Tottenham Hotspurs officially banned the damned horn from their stadium during their match days. They became the first premier league club to ban the horn in the process. The board took a firm decision on the subject, and claimed that the horns would not be allowed at the Spurs stadium next season.
A number of second tier clubs of English football have already banned the “Stadium Horn”, but Spurs are the first Premier League club to ban it. According to Spurs’ official website, Vuvuzela’s and similar instruments have been prohibited from the stadium, following discussion and meetings with the police as well as local authorities. The statement elaborated that the existence of such horns at the stadium may lead to risks involving public security, and may cause permanent damage to the hearing of the supporters, which is not acceptable to the club.
"We are very proud of the fantastic atmosphere that our supporters produce organically at White Hart Lane and we are all very much looking forward to this continuing into the forthcoming season”, according to an official statement published on the website.
The Vuvuzela’s were seen in a Formula one race, following the World Cup, which led it to be banned in the next season. According to Dr Dirk Koekmoer, at the University of Pretoria, the horn can cause permanent damage to the hearing of a person, as it produces high intensity sound for a significant period of time. A study was conducted at the University, which confirmed that listening to such a noise for more than fifteen minutes in a day would cause serious long term damage to hearing, and should be avoided at all coasts. Owing to the sheer amount of horns blown together, experts believe that he horn should be banned from stadiums, as it could cause mass damage to all the spectators who are present at the stadium.
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