Dutch give vuvuzelas a red card
Cape Town residents blow vuvuzela horns in support of the South Africa soccer team, during a fans party in Cape Town, June 10, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Yves Herman
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The African vuvuzela trumpets, hugely popular with World Cup fans in South Africa, are no longer welcome during Dutch training sessions as their continuous din drowns out Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk.
The Netherlands had an open training session on Wednesday, obligatory under FIFA rules, which was attended by 3,000 mainly Dutch and South African fans, many sounding their vuvuzela plastic horns.
"It was annoying and I could not make myself audible," Van Marwijk told a news conference on Friday. "That way training has no use if I can't address my players."
The vuvuzelas have become a heavily discussed issue since they featured for the first time for a worldwide audience during last year's Confederations Cup.
"I heard them for the first time during the Confederations Cup though I have to say I got used to the sound of it after a while," Van Marwijk added.
"At this moment we don't know if there will be any more open training sessions but if we train with a crowd then (it will be) without the horns."
The Dutch start their World Cup campaign in Group E on Monday against Denmark in the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.
Credit: Reuters/Yves Herman
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The African vuvuzela trumpets, hugely popular with World Cup fans in South Africa, are no longer welcome during Dutch training sessions as their continuous din drowns out Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk.
The Netherlands had an open training session on Wednesday, obligatory under FIFA rules, which was attended by 3,000 mainly Dutch and South African fans, many sounding their vuvuzela plastic horns.
"It was annoying and I could not make myself audible," Van Marwijk told a news conference on Friday. "That way training has no use if I can't address my players."
The vuvuzelas have become a heavily discussed issue since they featured for the first time for a worldwide audience during last year's Confederations Cup.
"I heard them for the first time during the Confederations Cup though I have to say I got used to the sound of it after a while," Van Marwijk added.
"At this moment we don't know if there will be any more open training sessions but if we train with a crowd then (it will be) without the horns."
The Dutch start their World Cup campaign in Group E on Monday against Denmark in the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.