Vuvuzela Ready For World Cup Action
In South Africa, stadium noise is vastly different to the sounds in more established footballing nations – mainly because of the vuvuzela, a long plastic horn.
The origins of the vuvuzela are a mystery bur it has taken just a short time for it to become an integtal part of the South African football scene. The long plas-ic horn probably came to the country just a few years ago along with other cheap trinkets from the East but it is certainly now a firm part of the culture. It may be a relatively new phenomenon but the blaring of the vuvuzela and the cacophony of noise it produces has become synonymous with football in South Africa.
FIFA, taking a break from some of the more serious decision-making around the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa, recently announced that it would allow this “musical instrument” into stadiums for the tournament, putting to rest the allegedly serious concern of some South African officials who had apparently been repeatedly asking world football’s governing bodv for assurances that the vuvuzela would be okayed for FIFA World Cup action.
THE BLAST OF AN ELEPHANT
That this colourful plastic tube would command such prominence among other priorities is amusing but FIFA’s go-ahead will draw a mixed reaction from fans, particularly those on the receiving end of its high-tone barrage. It is fun to blow, particularly for kids whose stamina is tested by the puffing of their cheeks and the gusto with which they exhale to create a volume that would only be permitted in the confines of a noisy football stadium. It is no fun, however, to be on the receiving end with eardrums assailed by the tuneless noise.
The vuvuzela produces a sound that those sympathetic to the instrument romantically claim is like the blast of an elephant. To be honest, it is much closer to a foghorn.
In South Africa, stadium noise is vastly different to the sounds in more established footballing cultures. Fans rarely sing, so the din of a stadium rises in line with the action on the pitch, the shrieking of fans reaching a crescendo when their team come close to goal or find the back of the net. The vuvuzela has added to the atmosphere of the domestic league and proven to be a noisy way of supporting the national side, Bafana Bafana, particularly in the absence of singing from the fans or even the drumbeat so prevalent elsewhere on the continent.
That is why, perhaps, officials were so keen to get FIFA’s blessing to allow them into the stadium. Given recent form, maybe the belief is that Bafana Bafana will need all the help they can possibly get when they go into action at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ finals.
LIKE A SHOWER HEAD
Vuvuzelas are made from different but brilliantly coloured plastics and are
generally just short of one metre long. They are blown like one would a trumpet, but they take time to master as the lungs and lips find common coordination.
The Zulu word for “making noise” is vuvuzela but there are those who claim that the instrument’s name comes from slang from the black townships for the word “shower” because it “showers people with music” or looks like a shower head.
Communication by means of a horn is part of Africa’s culture, however, as villages used to blow on a kudu horn to summon people together. The kudu is a magnificent antelope common in southern Africa, with horns that bend and twist into a distinctive form. There was one fan, a supporter of Mamelodi Sundowns, who used to blow a kudu horn at South African Premier Soccer League matches – it made a dull, deep almost earthy noise – but even he has since been blasted away by the vuvuzelas.
FIFA has wanted that it will take away permission for the vuvuzela if the instrument is used as a weapon by errant spectators. Certainly, South African manufacturers have already been asked to make them to a maximum of 100 grams to tender them ineffective for those who may want to use them with the wrong intent.
It will be interesting to sec what the world mates of it all in 2010. It is true that a stadium full of horn-blowing supporters produces skin-tingling excitement. It can be an incredible sound. But blown repeatedly solo, out of tune and devoid of rhythm, it can be a curse, too.
Just like the 1986 FIFA World Cup™ spread La ola, the “Mexican wave”, all around the world (even though it originated at baseball games in the USA), so the vuvuzela is on the brink of colonising the globe. Could it be that South Africa’s legacy will be the foghorn blare of this tuneless tube of plastic? We wait with bated breath … and, of course, earplugs!

The sixth FIFA Futsal World Cup will witness several firsts For example, this will be the first time the tournament has comprised 20 teams (as opposed to 16 in the past), the first time it has been held in Brazil – the founding country of futsal alongside Uruguay – and indeed the first time in South America. Not only that, it will mark the debut of the Solomon Islands and Libya. The tournament promises spectacular and exciting matches, especially as all the leading teams made it through qualifying. The 56 matches will be played in two towns and two halls: in the “Maracanazinho” (capacity: 12,600), the legendary 54-year-old arena in Rio de Janeiro which was recently revamped for this tournament, and in the “Jomalista Nilson Nelson” (capacity: 16,600) in the capital Brasilia.
Alongside the hosts, defending champions Spain are the main favourites. “Our minimum goal is to reach the final,” says Spain coach Venancio Lopez, who replaced Javier Lozano in September 2007. Lozano stepped down after a long and very successful tenure, during which he guided Spain to victory in the last two FIFA Futsal World Cups and four European championships. Spain showed their class in qualification, led by their outstanding goalkeeper Luis Amado, defensive bulwark Kike and attackers Marcelo and Andreu. They won their four matches easily, with a goal difference of 29-3.
Italy, runners-up to Spain at the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2004 and the 2007 European Championships, are also among the favourites. Will they manage to overcome the Spaniards this time round? Attacking wizards Adriano Foglia and Jairo Manoel lead an Italian team that consists almost exclusively of players whose ancestors hall from Brazil.
Of the six European representatives, Portugal also have an excellent chance. “We want to improve upon our performance at the European Championships,” says national coach Orlando Duarte. In other words, to get at least third place, as in 2000 when Portugal took the bronze medal on their FIFA Futsai World Cup debut in Guatemala.
The Solomon Islands can only dream of progressing that far. Oceania’s sole representative is happy just to be there. This is mainly thanks to Micah Lea’alafa and Elliot Ragomo, who between them scored 22 of the team’s 41 goals in the qualifying tournament on Fiji. Coach Victor Wai’ia is convinced that his team has the quality to hold its own against the best teams. The Solomon Islands have no intention of being cannon fodder, like hosts Guatemala in 2000, who lost 29-2 to Brazil in the first round.
2008 could see a repeat of this uneven match-up, albeit one which is unlikely to end with another thrashing for the Central Americans, who have made great strides in the meantime, as shown by their impressive qualification ahead of the other CONCACAF representatives Cuba and the USA. Guatemala, led by goalscorer Jose Rafael Gonzalez, are aiming to reach the second round in Brazil.
This is the minimum target for Libya too. Although the North Africans are regarded as the pioneers of futsal in Africa, they have not yet been able to qualify for a FIFA Futsal World Cup final competition. Now the team, led by Croatian coach Mato Stankovic, has achieved qualification ahead of Egypt, who nevertheless also managed to book their place in the finals. Iran also qualified impressively. The team led by coach Hossein Shams won the Asian championship for the ninth time with a 4-0 victory in the final over Thailand, thus underlining their status as their continent’s leading futsal power. The two other AFC representatives are Japan and China PR. Iran line up with one of the best futsal players in Asia, Vahid Shamsaee, and hope finally to cause a sensation at a FIFA Futsal World Cup. Argentina did just that in Chinese Taipeh in 2004 by taking fourth place. Coach Sergio Lopez is hoping for a similar feat at this FIFA Futsal World Cup: “We dominated all of our matches at this year’s Copa America, with the exception of our game against Brazil, and played attractive futsal.”

For years, Alessandro Rosa Vieira has been regarded as the world’s best futsal player. The man with the brilliant left foot, nicknamed “Falcao”, is aiming to win the only trophy still missing from his collection, the FIFA Futsal World Cup, in his homeland Brazil.
The FIFA Centennial World Player Gala chat took place in the Zurich Opera House on 20 December 2004 saw Ronaldinho crowned FIFA World Player of the Year and awards presented to superstars like Thierry Henry and Andriy Shevchenko. Yet only one player drew spontaneous applause from the thrilled audience. There were gasps of wonder and the words “unbelievable”, “fantastic” and “phenomenal” could be heard as video highlights of the world’s leading fursal player flashed up on the screen.
The praise and applause were for Alessandro Rosa Vieira, known in the world of futsal simply as “Falcao”. Four years ago, he was recognised as the best futsal player on the planet and, now 31, remains SO to this day.
More than two million people now play organised futsal worldwide, and that number is on the up. The appeal of futsal is limitless, and Falcao is an outstanding ambassador for the game. Those who warch him play immediately fall in love with the game. There seems to be no trick or feint that the left-footed Brazilian star does not know or master. Ihe small, hard ball obeys him like a well-trained puppy.
“Falcao is my idol,” says Ronaldinho, sounding like some star-struck teenager, ► and Robinho, another Brazilian football star, calls Falcao the “professor”.
DANCING WITH THE BALL
Born in the Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paulo, Falcao used to play in the street in front of his parents’ house when he was young. He liked nothing better than nutmegging his bewildered opponents, dribbling, shooting and showing off with scissor-kicks and overhead kicks, even on the asphalt surface. “Futsal is my life,’1 realised Falcao at an early age. “Football was too boring for me. It took far too long to get a touch of the ball.”
Falcao feels comfortable on the small pitch – it is where he belongs, a place where he is king and can dance with the ball. “I can’t dance without a ball – ask my wife! But I can dance with the ball, it happens automatically,” he says, laughing. He has futsal in his blood. “I’ve been blessed with a lot of talent,” he admits.
However, he would never have acceded to the throne had it not been for rigorous training-he plays futsal every day. He has been a professional player for half his life, and indeed is the highest-paid player in the world. “I’ve found fame and fortune,” says Falcao. According to reports, he is paid a monthly salary of some 25,000 US dollars by his club Malwee/Jaragua. Another source of income is “Falcao Sports”, the company that he founded. It comprises futsal schools, its own brand of clothing and the website www.falcaol2. com. Falcao also stars in a number of adverts, including one alongside his close friend Tlobinho.
When Falcao pulls on the Malwee/ Jaragua shirt with the number 12 on its back, every last seat is usually taken in the hall in Jaragua do Sol, the town with a population of 130,000 in the state of Santa Catatina. An average of 15,000 specratots attend the matches, 1,000 mote than watch the local football team, and Falcao is the crowds undisputed hero. The fans, many sporting shirts and caps adorned with the number 12, screech and cheer whenever he so much as touches the ball. A sports hall has now even been named after the playmaker. His team in Brazil has won every trophy there is to win. Thanks to Falcao, almost everyone of Brazil’s 180 million inhabitants knows what Malwee/Jaragua is and where Jaragua do Sol is located.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON …
Falcao made his debut for the Selecao, Brazil’s national team, as a 17-year-old and has won dozens of titles and trophies with the various clubs he has represented. There is not enough room to list them
all here. But he has never been a world champion. That may be about to change in October. The FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008 in his homeland could be his crowning glory. “I want to win this title, that’s my biggest goal and my biggest dream,” says Falcao. He and his team have always been pipped by the Spaniards in the past, both in the final in Guatemala in 2000 and on penalties in the semi-final in Chinese Taipei in 2004. “Those were bitter defeats and the pain lasted a long time,” says Falcao.
These have not been the only setbacks in his otherwise glorious career. He has tried several times to establish himself in the world of football, but did not get past trials at Santos, the team he has idolised since childhood, Portuguesa or Palmeiras. Sao Paulo awarded him a six-month contract in 2005, but the coach at that time, Brazil’s former international goalkeeper Emerson Leao, only used Falcao in six games out of 21, so he returned to futsal.
He picked up where he left off immediately. In all, he has scored almost 250 goals for the national team and he is planning to add to that tally during the FIFA Futsal World Cup, where he will form part of a highly talented team featuring outstanding players such as goalkeeper Franklin, Lenisio, Schumacher, Neto and Vinicius.
And what lies in store for him afrer the FIFA Futsal World Cup? After all, Falcao is 31 and nearing che end of his career. The player has not given this 3 great deal of thought. Instead, he is delighted that at least one of his two sons looks set to follow in his footsteps. Six-year-old Enzo already has astonishing ball skills, and Falcao is visibly proud of him: “He is a real phenomenon,” he says, just like his father.