Johannesburg - Soccer World Cup organisers made it clear on Monday that vuvuzelas will not be banned from matches in South Africa despite complaints that noise from the horns is diminishing the matchday experience for fans in the stadiums and those watching at home.?
"Vuvuzelas are here to stay and will never be banned," Rich Mkhondo, communications officer of the World Cup local organizing committee, said at Soccer City in Johannesburg.
"Look at them as part of our culture in South Africa to celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup."
The statement comes a day after the BBC reported that chief organizer Danny Jordaan had not fully ruled out a possible vuvuzela ban.
"As our guests please embrace our culture, please embrace the way we celebrate," said Mkhondo.
"The history of the vuvuzela is ingrained in South Africa."
Jordaan had said he preferred singing in a football stadium, but Mkhondo denied the noise from the horns drowned out all other forms of celebration.
"We don't believe people are losing anything," he said.
"People love the vuvuzelas around the world. Only a minority are against vuvuzelas."
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