Vuvuzela South Africa

Manchester City is now my favorite team in the whole wide world after City manager Mark Hughes and his England midfield star, Gareth Barry, have come out in support of South African soccer fans blowing their vuvuzelas.

Well I still think they spent too much money and I don’t quite know if I buy that whole story about an investment in the future. My grandfather always said one should never invest in anything that eats or needs to be painted!

Endorsement of the Vuvuzela

Steven Ireland

But the ringing endorsement of the Vuvuzela was nice, even if it came hot on the heels of City’s  1-0 defeat of Kaizer Chief last night , when captain Stevie Ireland sent the Blues into Saturday’s Vodacom Challenge Final.

Hughes did not think the vuvuzela interfered at all with the game, in fact he felt that it added to the passion in both venues they had played.

According to IOL the City boss said:

“The spirit here in the crowd has been brilliant and the local fans are really a tremendous part of the South African game.”

Mark Hughes continued:

“I enjoyed the experience of hearing the vuvuzelas we heard about in the Confederations Cup, and as far as I am concerned they add to the excitement of the crowd.”

Gareth Barry, who was signed by Hughes from Aston Villa for about R225-million recently, agreed with his manager.

“What I and the other players really enjoyed was the noise and passion created by the fans.

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The Vuvuzela is part of South African soccer and it is here to stay.

I found this local South African  blog this morning called Football is Coming Home.

(I have always thought it was home…) This blog, with the great Luthuli tagline has a few posts making it clear that the blog owners don’t like Vuvuzelas.

The one headed Vuvuzelas Originate in the United States - comes to the conclusion that Vuvuzelas started with a Chinese women’s basketball team? Duh….Ok, I’m also a bit confused, and all this insight into the REAL Vuvu history is related according to the opion of another blogger calling himself Blatant .

Blatant  a bad close encounter with Vuvuzela’ at a Confederations Match and relates his journey towards the game:

We arrived at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace full of cheer and merriment. We told jokes on the way and would slap our sides with hortelling, chortelling laughter. Yes, indeed we were a truly merry bunch, ready for an evening of (pointless) Confed. Cup fun. But it was not to be.

Now I may be cynical but I can almost say for sure that someone who uses words like cheer and merriment and hortelling, chortelling is NOT going to like Vuvuzelas.

Colorful Part of South African Soccer

I also remember  when Vuvus became popular. I remember the whole thing. I don’t really care if some spindoctor has invented a sexy history for them. I do know that over the past few years they have become a colorful part of South African soccer – the colorful part like the crazy wild outfits and the enormous supporter bases of Soweto clubs like Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates and Moroka Swallows.

Township Soccer Supporters

These township soccer supporters have been loyal to their clubs for generations; they go to matches every Saturday, on foot, by bus, trains, taxi any way they can. If you have watched a derby in the old Orlando stadium, you’ll know the hearts spirits of these true soccer fans.

If they want to blow Vuvuzelas at Africa’s first World Cup – nobody is going to stand in their way. Africa has made an enormous contribution to World Soccer and now it is the World’s turn to come and play at our place – with our toys.

WE’ll even teach them that Vuvuzela’s don’t just have one note!

(Note – both these blogs, have great soccer news – and I love the comments on the Vuvuzela posts)

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Vuvuzela Orchestra @ Mandela Challenge 2007 from Pedro Espi-Sanchis on Vimeo.

In 2007 During the Mandela Challenge, sixty fans were trained to play seven songs on the tuned Vuvuzelas at Ellis Park Stadium. They were joined by a thousand fans singing and two thousands playing rhythm patterns on the standard vuvuzelas.

USA football fan,  with his great World Cup Blog writes a cool post In defence of the Vuvuzela and says whereas he was first very aware of it, he  has become used to it.

“But most likely it was because I’d just gotten used to the sound after a week of watching (and listening to) the Confederations Cup. It was annoying to begin with, mostly because I wasn’t used to it. But five matchdays in, I’m 100% vuvuzela adjusted.”

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