Ever since FIFA World Cup 2010 kicked off in South Africa June, the buzzing of the vuvuzela -- a cheap, plastic, monotone trumpet -- is the incessant accompaniment to every match. Although it has become an unlikely symbol of South African football and an unusual element of public attention across the world, the opinion is different among most people, especially players.

A recent survey found that the sound emitted by a vuvuzela was the equivalent to 127 decibels - louder than a drum's 122 decibels or a referee's whistle at 121.8 decibels. Prof James Hall III, Dr Dirk Koekemoer, De Wet Swanepoel and colleagues at the University of Pretoria found that the vuvuzelas can have negative effects on people’s eardrums when exposed to the high-intensity sound for a certain amount of time.

A study by Dr Ruth McNerney of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and colleagues, concluded that the spread of diseases by means of vuvuzelas was possible. McNerney found tiny droplets at the bottom of a vuvuzela, which can carry flu and cold germs and could infect others on a greater scale than coughing or shouting.

While most people attribute the sound of the plastic trumpet to the drone of a thousand bees, criticism of the vuvuzelas has been almost as loud as the instruments themselves with complaints flowing in from broadcasting companies. BBC and Associated Press reported that broadcasting organisations, such as BBC and ESPN, experienced difficulties hearing the commentators' voices as they were drowned by the sound.

The two broadcast giants both examined the possibility of filtering the ambient noise while maintaining game commentary, as some fans watching on television claimed that they could not hear the commentary. However, the most criticisms come from players themselves, with some saying that the collective noise level of vuvuzelas would rival the engines of a Jumbo jet.

At a press conference held just two days after the World Cup kicked off, Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo added his voice to the complaints about the wall of sound being made by the vuvuzelas, saying the noise affects player concentration. “It is difficult for anyone on the pitch to concentrate,” the Portugal star said. “Hardly anyone likes them, but the people who do like them are those who like to blow the instruments and make a racket.”

Argentinean football player Lionel Messi complained about the vuvuzelas after Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Nigeria. “It is impossible to communicate, it’s like being deaf,” The Hindu quoted Messi. The Weekend Argus reported that the Spanish football star Xabi Alonso called for the vuvuzela to be banned from the World Cup. “Those trumpets? That noise I don't like,” he said. “Fifa must ban those things. It is not distracting, but it is not nice to have a noise like that."”

According to BBC, which also complained about the noise of the trumpets in their broadcast of the World Cup, France captain Patrice Evra blamed the noise generated by the vuvuzelas for his team’s poor performance in the goalless match against Uruguay. “We can't sleep at night because of the vuvuzelas. People start playing them from 6am. We can't hear one another out on the pitch because of them,” he said.

Following the Confederations Cup matches Dutch coach Bert Van Marwijk told reporters that the noisy vuvuzela blown incessantly by fans should not be allowed in the stadiums. "At home watching TV it really was annoying, but in the stadiums you get used to it but it is still unpleasant," the Reuters reported. "You want to coach your players during the match but it is almost impossible with that noise. So for me the horns can stay outside the stadium."

There are players who defend the use of Vuvuzelas in matches. England defender Jamie Carragher said the noise did not bother him when he came on as a half-time substitute during the 1-1 draw with the United States and he said he had already bought two to take home to his children in Liverpool. The BBC quoted him as saying, “When I came on I didn't notice it too much. I think you notice it more when you are watching on TV.”

However, with at least 650,000 vuvuzelas having been sold even before the World Cup opened, a ban would seem impractical and Fifa insists that this would happen only if the instruments were used as missiles or weapons. FIFA is also reluctant to take action against such a distinctive cultural symbol of the South African people. Fifa president Sepp Blatter personally got into the debate and said the vuvuzelas are part of football in South Africa. “I have always said that Africa has a different rhythm, a different sound,” he commented on social networking site Twitter.

“I don't see banning the music traditions of fans in their own country. Would you want to see a ban on the fan traditions in your country?” ESPN’s Soccernet Global also quoted Blatter as saying that “we should not try to Europeanise an African World Cup,” despite thousands of fans around the world emailing FIFA urging to ban the instrument. No matter how many complaints FIFA receives about the noise of the vuvuzelas, football viewers across the world will have to cope – vuvuzelas have been a hit with fans at the World Cup stadiums.