Vuvuzelas verboten in European competitions

UEFA followed the lead of such organizations as diverse as the English Premier League, Little League and FIBA, the world basketball organization, and has banned banned fans from bringing vuvuzelasinto stadiums for UEFA’s national team and club competition games.

The South African plastic trumpets were made famous — and notorious — at the World Cup. UEFA acknowledged thatvuvuzelas add a touch of local flavor and folklore in the specific context of South Africa but that their widespread use “would not be appropriate in Europe.”

“The magic of footballconsists of the two-way exchange of emotions between the pitch and the stands, where the public can transmit a full range of feelings to the players,” UEFA said. “UEFA is of the view that thevuvuzelas would completely change the atmosphere, drowning supporter emotions and detracting from the experience of the game.”