Danes to use sign language to overcome vuvuzelas
JOHANNESBURG - Denmark goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen on Monday suggested teams use increased planning, eye contact and sign language to overcome the problems caused by the ceaseless din of the vuvuzela trumpets at World Cup matches.
Fans at the finals in South Africa have taken to the vuvuzela, with tens of thousands blasting their plastic instruments throughout matches to spur their teams on.
But players have spoken against the vuvuzela, deemed by one global hearing foundation as the loudest of all fan instruments. The problem is especially acute for goalkeepers, who need to scream instructions to defenders, especially at set pieces.
"The problem is you just can't communicate. You really have to use eye contact," Sorensen told reporters after the Danes' 2-0 defeat to Netherlands in Group E on Monday.
"Whatever I say to the defenders will not be heard. You need things sorted out before the game, know where people are, use hands signs, because you have no chance on the field to do things quickly," he added.
Sorensen said teams will have to prepare man-marking strategies before matches and decide, for example, which player will be in charge of lining up a wall to defend a free-kick as goalkeepers will not be able to get their message across.
The Danish keeper is no stranger to loud atmospheres as he plays in the English Premier League for Stoke City.
"When you play in England you are used to the good atmosphere and the people singing, but this is just a constant noise. It's obviously part of the tradition here, but I prefer people singing," he said.
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