Is there any chance of enjoying a World Cup match without the Vuvuzela piercing our ears or the Jabulani denying your favorite team with its bizarre swerve? Dreadful, sticky, horrible, disaster and even funny were among the terms used by a wide variety of players and managers describing the supposedly number one ball in the world. "I noticed the first day that this Jabulani ball wasn't right. The World Cup brings together the best players in the world and to those players you must provide something decent. The new ball is not decent," said Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon. Another comment from Holland coach Bert van Marwijk was perhaps more thorough, implying that Jabulani hinders the progress of the game. "Every cross pass you see can't be controlled, they go over the players. The kicks to the goal, 90 per cent of them swerve over the goal," said the Dutch manager. It is obvious that during the opening games of the South Africa finals, players struggled to hit the target from range, not to mention the suffering of goalkeepers to handle and strikers to control. By the end of the first round of the group stage in World Cup Germany 2006, there were four or five goals from outside the area. At the same stage in South Africa, there have been zero strikes from long range and a handful of scrappy goals. An astonishing fact states that, during the 2010 African Cup of Nations where the 'Jabulani' was first experimented, Seydou Keita's screamer against Malawi was nearly the only genuine strike from distance the tournament had witnessed. With 25 days to go, don't expect to see quality goals flying with this ball. Vuvuzela There has been no shortage of complaints from the instrument blown incessantly by South African fans during the whole 90 minutes of every single World Cup game, regardless of who is playing or what the score is. The protests originate back from the 2009 Confederations Cup, but FIFA president Sepp Blatter's response at the time was passive rather than constructive. Blatter's point is that he doesn't want to 'Europeanize an African World Cup' ! Does that mean that Africa is all about noise? Or that everyone related to the game should suffer in order for a minority of African fans to have some fun? I think when something acts as a barrier against the convenience of players and managers, then it is 'not for the good of the game'. This is apart from the serious damage it could cause to the thousands of fans present at the stands of each game. Phonak, a global hearing aid company, recently found out that the Vuvuzelas produce noise levels of between 113 to 131 decibels. It is estimated that extended exposure to over 100 decibels could seriously affect hearing. The company has actually received enquiries about its products, amid reports that the so-called 'cheering instrument' could cause loss of hearing in severe cases. "Last week alone, we received more than 50 inquiries because people are becoming aware of the damage the instruments could cause to their ears," Phonak administrative secretary Johanna Smith said.
