Nothing kills the joy of soccer like a bunch of wailing vuvuzelas

When Bafana Bafana took on Mexico at Soccer City, there was sadly very little singing in the stands.

South Africans, a mighty musical nation if ever there was one, have replaced hearty renditions with the noise of something called the vuvuzela.

This instrument, which emits a sound akin to that of a goat on the way to slaughter, is now at the centre of a growing row in international football.

There is a clamour from coaches, players and broadcasters for Fifa to ban the instrument.

The argument is that it makes it difficult for coaches to bark instructions to players during play. This, the vuvuzela's critics argue, has a direct negative impact on the game.

The broadcasters aver that the vuvuzela's intrusive noise interferes with the sound quality of their transmission.

The onslaught on the vuvuzela was started by Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso, who had to endure it during last year's Confederations Cup.

"That trumpet? It's not nice ... I think Fifa should ban it. It's not really distracting, but it's not a nice sound to hear," he moaned.

His view was echoed by several other players during the course of the tournament.

Football legend and Thailand coach Bryan Robson blamed the vuvuzela for his team's disjointed performance in their friendly against Bafana Bafana at Peter Mokaba stadium. He warned that it would make life difficult for coaches at the World Cup.

"The coaches at the World Cup are definitely going to have to inform their players beforehand that they will have to communicate effectively with each other on the field," the former England and manchester United midfield dynamo said.

"It's very difficult to get any message to the players from the bench. Coaches are going to have to make that known to their players"

Word on the street is that several coaches have voiced their disquiet to their national associations, who have in turn conveyed the message to Fifa.

Predictably, South Africans have been very defensive. A lot of noise has been made about the vuvuzela being part of South African tradition and it being the proverbial 12th man in the Bafana squad.

Even Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has been waxing lyrical about its role in the nation's game plan.

"We have to reinforce that advantage... We want it louder and louder," he was quoted as saying.

Defending the vuvuzela has now become a patriotic must.

What the vuvuzela has done to football is to take away the spontaneity of song. Soccer fans do not compose new songs any more. The tribal chants that you hear at great soccer cathedrals such as White Hart Lane and the Santiago Bernabeu are rarely heard in our soccer grounds these days. Except for the Bloemfontein Celtic support base, the music in South African stadiums has been drowned by the dreadful instrument.

The vuvuzela issue is likely to be a major off-field controversy during the tournament. There will be inflamed passions among its defenders and detractors.

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