Eight Premier League football clubs have told fans not to bring vuvuzelas to their games when the new season gets under way next month. The controversial horns provided the soundtrack to this summer's World Cup in South Africa, but they will not be welcome in grounds across the country.
Tottenham Hotspur were first to post a message on their website confirming the ban at the club's White Hart Lane Stadium. It read, "We are concerned that the presence of the instruments within the stadium pose unnecessary risks to public safety and could impact on the ability of all supporters to hear any emergency safety announcements.”
Within hours of Spurs announcing their intention to ban the vuvuzela, their north London rivals followed suit, also citing safety reasons.
The Gunners said in a statement, "Further to their hugely debated involvement at this summer’s World Cup Finals in South Africa, Arsenal Football Club has decided to forbid the use of vuvuzelas within Emirates Stadium with immediate effect. This decision has been taken to ensure the enjoyment and safety of supporters on match days, which is of paramount importance to the club."
The Premier League has so far refused to implement a widespread ban on the horns, leaving it up to individual clubs to decide for themselves. West Ham later added confirmation that they too were banning the vuvuzela for similar reasons, but added that the horn could also be used as a weapon.
A West Ham club statement said, “Under the current health and safety regulations at the stadium, which already disallows musical bands, we would not allow them into the stadium as they could be considered a weapon and could also be considered to be an annoyance to others.”
Birmingham City, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Sunderland and Newcastle United said they have also banned the horns. However, while Blackpool, Chelsea and Manchester City do not want to encourage fans to use vuvuzelas at their grounds, they said no plans are in place to ban them.
