The vuvuzela: Why must we ban everything?

Five Premier League clubs (and counting) have come out today and banned the vuvuzela from their stadiums.

Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham, Birmingham and Sunderland have made it clear that the South African horn that was such a talking point at this summer’s World Cup will not be welcome on their stands.

I fully understand that many (in fact most) people found the traffic jam/swarm of bees noise making contraptions pretty irritating – but can’t we make our own decision? Do we need to be told what we can and can’t do and have another sign with a big red X thrusted upon us?

It seems to be a cultural thing – if a few people make enough noise (although not with a vuvuzela obviously) we simply ban it. Smoking, fox-hunting, ‘legal-highs’, drinking on the tube etc etc. Our civil liberties are constantly being eroded.

I’m not quite sure where the playing of a vuvuzela fits on the spectrum of ones human rights – but I think if a football fan wants to play one of those things, they should be allowed to do so. And if the non-vuvuzela playing fans don’t like it – it won’t take them long to let their feelings be known.

If the vuvuzela is to be banished from these shores, it should be decided democratically – not by giving a bunch of whinging busy-bodies more credit than they warrant.

UPDATE: Liverpool have banned them as well now…

Recent Posts on Sport - Latest analysis on the Sporting world -

• Roy Hodgson for England: A club of one
• Andrei Arshavin worthy of more than a peripheral role at Arsenal
• iBet: Southend are League Two's highest scorers away from home
• Panagiotis Vlachodimos: ‘The Greek Cristiano Ronaldo’
• The Independent Angler: Opening up the Amazon, the oldest fly fishing club, Trevally sets world record