Those crazy Brazilians.

Three years after they made worldwide headlines by blowing through plastic horns while hosting the 2010 World Cup soccer matches, the soccer-rabid masses are at it again.

Hopefully for all viewing future World Cups, they won't have to try to listen to the play-by-play commentary through a drone of vuvuzelas - the long plastic horn thousands incessantly played during games not so long ago. Trying to watch a game on TV and actually hear what was going on was maddening.

Also, apparently the sound of thousands of vuvuzelas played in unison can result in such high decibel levels as to result in hearing loss.

With all that considered, soccer organizations have pondered banning fans from carrying the horns to games.

But so far, the tactics are a little more subtle.

Recently, the Brazilian government and FIFA (The International Federation of Association Football), have just offered up a less-annoying alternative.

They have recognized the caxirola, as the official fan instrument of the World Cup. The caxirola is a Brazilian percussion instrument which has a plastic basket with a flat bottom filled with particles to make a sound similar to a rain stick, another percussion instrument, or a maraca.

But already, the plan has hit a snag. About two weeks ago, fans at a match in Sao Paulo threw hundreds of caxirolas onto the field, upset with their team's performance.

I guess the rabid football fans will part with an item that fits inside the palm of their hand, like a caxirola, but the long, cumbersome vuvuzela probably doesn't qualify as an accurate projectile, and thusly leaves the stadium with its owner, deaf as he/she is.

Soccer - er, football to the rest of the world - has had a long history of violence amongst its fervent team followers.

Back in the day when the Raiders left Oakland and moved south to Los Angeles, the team's fans saw it as a badge of honor if they could mess with the visiting team's followers at the L.A. Coliseum.

In comparison, many fans of national or professional soccer teams couldn't imagine going to a match without getting into a tussle with a few of the other side's goons.

So, in hindsight, maybe throwing a few hand-sized percussive items onto a field is not such a bad thing. Maybe they can come up with a lower-decibel output vuvuzela.

That way, after the fan blows into it for a couple of hours, he won't have enough energy to engage in fisticuffs.

But then again, who am I kidding? I'm talking about soccer hooligans. They'd slap their own mother if she dared root for the wrong side.

Maybe after a matchful of caxirola shaking, the thugs' arms will be so weak, they'll retire to the nearest pub for a draft instead of trying to strike a few blows on the blokes from over yonder.

With all this information, good luck if you're planning on attending the Confederations Cup, which begins this month, in Brazil.

Oh, and bring a few dozen pairs of ear plugs. You'll need them and maybe you can scalp some to pay for your trip ... and your hospital bill if you choose to root for the wrong side.

You can attempt to reach Jerry Hitchcock at 664-8176, Ext. 2017, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at HitchTheWriter.