Nanyuki - Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o on Tuesday defended the use of vuvuzelas in the World Cup in South Africa, arguing the noisy horns served as an encouragement to the players.
"I loved it," the Inter Milan striker told AFP in this dusty Kenyan highlands town of Nanyuki, where he arrived on Monday to officiate in a community football tournament finals.
"It is a way of cheering and encouraging the players and the fans. Vuvuzelas have now become famous and we will keep talking about them for many years to come. I am eager to see what the Brazilian fans will do," added Eto'o.
Linguists from around the world voted vuvuzela the word of the World Cup but the monotonous drone produced by thousands of the plastic horns in the same stadium is loathed by many.
Several tournaments and clubs have banned vuvuzelas altogether, arguing that they could pose a security threat if hurled onto the pitch or at supporters and that the noise risked drowning out safety announcements.