As the World Cup fast approaches and Groningen becomes increasingly orange, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk a little bit about an issue that has lit a hornets’ nest of controversy - the lowly, plastic Vuvuzela.

In case you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about a Vuvuzela is one those plastic horns that are beginning to pop up everywhere in preparation for the World Cup.

To the untrained ear, they can seem a little tuneless and well annoying but, they are the South African sports fan’s instrument of choice. (If you want a demonstration of its power and, how it should be used click on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrYb9qtO8OQ.)

And, because of the sheer number of untrained ears at last year’s Confederations Cup, there was a danger that not only would South Africans have to go without local beer (Budweiser is the official beer of choice) but there was a danger that they would not be allowed to blow their own trumpets.

Thankfully demands from international commentators to have them banned fell on deaf ears and were dismissed by Sepp Blatter, who said it was a part of African football and this was an African World Cup.

And, while purists the world over may think it is obnoxiously loud and annoying, marketers know that its true beauty lies in the power it gives to the fans to really make their presence felt – a power they knew instantly they could charge for.

And so, the lowly Vuvuzela has gone from a quirky sideshow, an ugly plastic duckling, to being a star. At the vendors in South Africa you can get all sorts of ones – you can even dress them up in team colours – but, more importantly you can even buy them in Groningen, which makes me more than a little proud, I must admit. And, when I see one or hear one blown excitedly in the street, I can’t help but get a little homesick.

And, while most of the vuvuzelas in Groningen are orange, there is one, sitting in a window quietly, all dressed up in South African colours just waiting for that first kick off and, a South African goal.