FIFA won't ban vuvuzelas from World Cup

"Mr_Canada" said
It's South Africa's game. I'm sure it would be seen as an act of friendship if a
bunch of Western blow-hards come in and bitch about their culture and their 'irritating ways'.
Then proceed to try and ban their avenues for pride. They'll be thrilled at the idea.

Leave them alone. It's South Africa's World Cup. If the World Cup ever comes
to Canada (in year 2086) then we can ban whatever we want.

This type of plastic horn or trumpet has been used in Mexican stadiums since the 1970s. Originally made out of tin, the vuvuzela became popular in South Africa in the 1990s. Well-known Kaizer Chiefs F.C. fan Freddie "Saddam" Maake claims to have invented the vuvuzela by adapting an aluminium version as early as 1965 from a bicycle horn after removing the black rubber to blow with his mouth. He later found it to be too short and joined a pipe to make it longer. Maake has photos of him in the 1970s and 1980s at local South African games and international games in 1992 and 1996 and at the 1998 World Cup in France, holding the aluminium vuvuzela. He says the instrument was banned as authorities ruled it a dangerous weapon, which prompted him to find a plastic company that could manufacture it.

In 2001, South Africa-based company Masincedane Sport began to mass-produce a plastic version. Neil van Schalkwyk, the co-owner of Masincedane Sport, won the SAB KickStart Award in 2001.

Vuvuzelas have been said to be based on kudu horn instruments and thus rooted in African history, but this is disputed. During the entire match, supporters blow vuvuzelas frantically in an attempt to "kill off" their opponents.

In 2005, prominent South African columnist and former sportswriter, Jon Qwelane described the vuvuzela as "an instrument from hell" that had caused him to abandon watching live games.

ABC World News with Diane Sawyer reported that the origin of the vuvuzela may be from an antelope horn, and was used historically during hunting in Africa to chase antelope when they were hunted.

FIFA now says it won't ban vuvuzelas unless fans throw them on the pitch in anger,

"Mr_Canada" said
I'd consider it the equivalent of Mongolians saying we can't chant 'Go Canada Go' during hockey games because they have some issue with it.

"xerxes" said
They're annoying as hell but to take them away would be to dilute the African flavour of this world cup. It'd be like telling English fans not to sing disparaging songs about Germans.