Premier and Football League Clubs Ban Vuvuzelas

Since Tottenham banned the vuvuzelas at their grounds, many more clubs have been following suite. Now Arsenal, Birmingham, Everton, Fulham and West Ham have also banned the horns from their stadiums. A number of Football League clubs have also made the same decision.

Tottenham made the decision following discussions with police and local authorities, they said that the noise could be a risk to public safety, Arsenal have said that they want to “ensure the enjoyment and safety” of their fans.

They published a statement on their website which said, "We are concerned that the presence of the instruments within the stadium pose unnecessary risks and could impact on the ability of all supporters to hear any emergency safety announcements. 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."

However, the Premier League have said that there won’t be a blanket ban as “such matters are dealt with at club level.”

At Birmingham City they also consulted their fans and safety advisory committee, the statement on their website read, “An overwhelming majority of Blues supporters said they didn't want vuvuzelas to be allowed at St Andrews.”

West Ham already have a ban on instruments, on their website they said, “Under the current health and safety regulations at the stadium, which already disallows musical bands, we would not allow them (vuvuzelas) into the stadium as they could be considered a weapon and could also be considered to be an annoyance to others. The health and safety regulation that all of this comes under is already in place.The club wish at all times to ensure that all supporters are allowed to enjoy the game they are watching and prides itself on the passionate, loud and robust support from our fans at all matches at Upton Park."

There was a similar statement from Everton, “It isn't a case of us being killjoys it is simply a measure which is designed to safeguard our reputation with the game's governing bodies. We have, in the past, had problems with people throwing objects onto the pitch and the Football Association has made it perfectly clear that we do face the possibility of sanctions should there be any repeat offence. In the wake of the World Cup in South Africa we have received many emails from our supporters asking that we ban vuvuzelas on the grounds that they are simply irritating - but none urging us to permit their use at first-team fixtures. "

For the time being Blackpool have not made a decision regarding vuvuzelas, “We are keen to ensure the atmosphere created by our fans is better than ever before, but this does not necessarily mean vuvuzelas will be permitted. We haven't really given any full consideration to vuvuzelas at the moment - we've had plenty of other things occupying the mind, with a debut season in the Premier League to prepare for. Any decision will be taken in due course and in consultation with relevant supporter groups.”

Retailers across Britain have been selling vuvuzelas on the assumption that they will become popular following their success at the World Cup. However, it seems that they may have made a mistake since the horns have come under heavy criticism from both players and fans, saying that they’d rather hear the more traditional singing and chanting that people have come to expect at football matches.

The horns were banned from Wimbledon this year by the All England Club as they were worried that it could spoil the event. The Henley Royal Regatta had the same opinion and banned vuvuzelas from being taken into the enclosures of the boat tent area. As for the England and Wales Cricket Board, cricket, they have taken the fair approach and said that each venue would be allowed to decide its own policy.