The 2009 Confederations Cup brought the vuvuzela horn right into the public eye, with opinion on the instrument very much divided. The vuvuzela is a 60-centimeter plastic horn and a symbol of South African soccer. In domestic and international matches, hundreds of these horns are brought to grounds by fans who then proceed to blow them throughout matches, creating a cacophony of sound that rarely ceases.

Some love them, some find them intensely annoying.

The Debate

International broadcasters certainly found themselves in the latter camp during the recent Confederations Cup in South Africa. Some complained to Fifa that the raucous noise was interfering with their broadcasts, and called for action to be taken before next summer's World Cup, also in South Africa. A solution to this problem may be for international broadcasters to talk to their South African counterparts to establish how the impact of the vuvuzela on transmissions can be reduced.

Others claim that the vuvuzela enhances the atmosphere at matches, although it needs to be blown in the correct way and not the haphazard fashion sometimes heard in the Confederations Cup. The word means to pump or lift up, and advocates of the vuvuzela argue that the instrument will be a vital tool in lifting the spirits of the South African players next summer.

There was talk that Fifa could ban the horns at the World Cup, but it ultimately decided they would be allowed into stadiums.

This will help ensure a distinctly African flavor is maintained, where there may have been a temptation to try and "Europeanize" the tournament.

Origins

The horn became popular in the 1990s and started being mass produced by South Africa-based company Masincedane Sport in 2001. Vuvuzelas are said to be rooted in African history although this has not been proven. They used to be made from a kudu horn and folklore has it that it was used to summon people to meetings.