Nicosia: Cyprus police announced yesterday they would confiscate any vuvuzelas taken into the island's football stadiums because the tuneless plastic horns were "dangerous".
Police said the announcement was prompted by the appearance of the horns made famous by the World Cup finals in South Africa on the stands during Cyprus clubs' Europa League and Champions League qualifying games in recent weeks.
"The public are informed that in the instance where a fan is seen carrying a vuvuzela inside a stadium or the surrounding area, it will be confiscated," the announcement said.
Police said that a dangerous object "is anything that can be used or thrown in a way which causes bodily harm or material damage".
"These objects [vuvuzelas] are judged to be dangerous for possession at grounds under the law to prevent and combat violence at sports stadiums," the statement said.
Linguists from around the world voted vuvuzela the word of the World Cup but the monotonous drone is loathed by many.
Cyprus police are not the first organisation to impose a ban on vuvuzelas with tennis authorities notably barring the instrument from Wimbledon this summer.
