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.
Follow Sport24 on Twitter and Facebook
Your Name
* Your Email
* Recipient's name
* Recipient's email
Your message
If you want to email this page to more than one person, just put a semicolon ";" between the email addresses. * = Compulsory
Read News24’s Comments Policy
24.com publishes all comments posted on articles provided that they adhere to our Comments Policy. Should you wish to report a comment for editorial review, please do so by clicking the 'Report Comment' button to the right of each comment.
Yes - it's just back to daily life now
Sort of - I will feel better each passing day
No - I miss the vibe and bustle so much it hurts
Don't care - didn't get into it anyway
View Results | Vote Archive
36% Yes - it's just back to daily life now
20% Sort of - I will feel better each passing day
33% No - I miss the vibe and bustle so much it hurts
11% Don't care - didn't get into it anyway
Vote Archive
Twitter Follow Sport24 on Twitter
Newsletters Sign up for Sport24's Morning Glory newsletter
Blogs Yes your opinion counts. Get it out there
WIN Enter and win with Sport24!
Mobile Sport24 on your mobile phone - WAP, alerts, downloads, services
BlackBerry Stay in the loop on your BlackBerry
iPhone Latest Sport24 news on your iPhone
Facebook "Like" Sport24's Facebook page
TV schedule Plan your couch time with our searchable sport TV guide
RSS Feeds Sport news delivered really simply.