World Cup Won't Ban Vuvuzelas

It was too good to be true: World Cup organizers have put the brakes on banning vuvuzelas—those three-foot plastic horns responsible for the incessant and deafening buzzing that's become the unofficial soundtrack for World Cup matches. Vuvuzelas have come to be quite the controversial fan's toy, not only among the soccer players and coaches who loathe them, but possibly among the World Cup's organizational staff: According to a BBC report, chief organizer Danny Jordaan had mulled banning them. On Monday, however, Rich Mkhondo, a spokesman for the local World Cup organizing committee, set the record straight, stating, "Vuvuzelas are here to stay and will never be banned," insisting: "People love the vuvuzelas around the world. Only a minority are against vuvuzelas." He denied reports that a ban was considered. Players and coaches have had to rely on increased eye contact and sign language to compensate for the toll vuvuzelas take on their ability to hear. The vuvuzela industry is valued at $6.5 million in South Africa and Europe.