Bafana is a maybe, but the vuvuzela goes all the way

A change in game plan for Bafana Bafana when they encounter Uruguay on Wednesday, but no Plan B for the vuvuzela seems to be on the cards during the next 48 hours of a pulsating Soccer World Cup in South Africa. In the meantime, none other than United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon, who was among the dignitaries at the opening ceremony last Friday, said the opening stages had been a triumph for the whole of Africa.

“It was really a moment of triumph for South Africans – and in a broader sense for Africans – because they have never hosted such a world-class event,” Ki-moon said.

English soccer legend Bobby Charlton said: “One moment has epitomised the World Cup so far: It was seeing the South African team singing and dancing their way down the tunnel before they played Mexico.”

The question is which team will be singing and dancing and which one will be fuming and complaining after the final whistle on Wednesday when Bafana and Uruguay clash in a vital Group A encounter.

Most pundits believe that if Bafana Bafana win this one, they will safely sail through to the second round.

Siphiwe Tshabalala’s thunderbolt, which gave South Africa a 1-0 lead in the entertaining match at Soccer City against Mexico, has lifted the spirits of South Africans and the confidence levels of Bafana Bafana ahead of the Uruguay clash.

"Uruguay will be in trouble if we carry on where we left off against the Mexicans," said Tshabalala.

"A win against Uruguay will virtually seal our passage into the second round and make the nation even prouder."

Tshabalala, on SABC2 news, even mentioned that he would be choreographing a new dancing style if he scored against Uruguay, and Bafana Bafana march on to glory in that match.

Instead of being Lord of a new dance, Tshabalala and the rest of the midfield should be looking at improved control and passing, something that was sorely lacking in the first half against Mexico.

What is worrying from a South African point of view is that even the team thinks that Uruguay will be easy pickings in the second match. What they fail to understand, is the quality of the opposition.

Diego Forlan has been at the heart of Athletico Madrid’s striking efforts and is a magnificent forward. Luis Suarez, his partner up front for Uruguay, scored 35 goals for Ajax in the Dutch competition over the past season in 33 starts for the team.

Uruguay failed to find these high-quality strikers by concentrating its efforts on defence against France, but it will play with increased intensity at Loftus. The team may not repeat the error of its ways on Wednesday.

But they may be defused or undermined by the vuvuzelas, a theme which had some of the best strikers in the world protesting.

French playmaker Yoann Gourcuff has blamed the vuvuzelas as one reason for his team's poor 0-0 draw with Uruguay on Friday night, and his captain Patrice Evra said he had been woken up by the vuvuzelas at 6 a.m.

Asked about the vuvuzela, Portugal’s star player Cristiano Ronaldo told the Cape Times: “It is difficult for anyone on the pitch to concentrate. A lot of players don’t like them, but they are going to have to get used to them.”

Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune had complained that the vuvuzelas were not loud enough.

World Cup organisers ruled out a ban on the vuvuzela horns on Monday, which have been driving some players and broadcasters mad, as the makers have now revealed they have designed a toned down version.

After the chairperson of the tournament's South African organising committee had said he would consider a ban on the tuneless trumpets, football's governing body Fifa issued a swift rebuttal at a daily press briefing.

"Vuvuzelas will not be banned from the stadia," Fifa spokesperson Stan Schaffner told reporters.

Asked by the BBC if a ban was an option, Jordaan told Sapa and News24.com: "If there are grounds to do so, yes.

"We have asked for no vuvuzelas during national anthems or during stadium announcements. I know it's a difficult question," he added, saying, "We're trying to manage the best we can".

The organising committee is a branch of Fifa and is ultimately subordinate to the sport's governing body.

Jordaan's comments came after complaints from players and broadcasters who said their commentators are struggling to make themselves heard above the noise, which has been compared to a hornets' nest.

A recent survey found that the sound emitted by a vuvuzela was the equivalent of 127 decibels - louder than a drum's 122 decibels, or a referee's whistle at 121.8 decibels.