World Cup sex: Playing off the pitch

Brazil line-up

TOBI AWORINDE examines the allowances which coaches gave their teams for sex during the ongoing World Cup in Brazil

More than just a tournament, the World Cup is a global event.

For billions, it is a flurry of fun. From the first sound of the whistle to the final tick of the clock, spectators can (and certainly do) bet on 90 minutes of phenomenal sportsmanship.

But there is a different kind of fun which happens during the tournament, but off the pitch—one which the fans are not invited to watch.

Indeed, sex is a tricky subject matter for coaches when it comes to winning the world’s most coveted cup, believe it or not. But with stakes this high, how could it not be?

With a little over two weeks gone since the opening ceremony on June 12, it has been revealed which of the teams are and aren’t allowed to have sex until their exit from the games or, better yet, till they win/lose the tournament on July 13—surely a lifetime for many of the players.

It is unclear how many of such players are thrilled at giving up sex for the uncertain world title.

According to www.qz.com, some teams have explicit policies about player sex that they have shared publicly. As for the teams that have not shared this, the website assumed those that allowed girlfriends and wives to stay in or visit the players’ hotel rooms—as Italy has—and otherwise didn’t have an explicit ban allowed their players to have sex.

Teams such as Russia, who travelled to Brazil without their wives and girlfriends, were counted as banning sex. Teams that put some light restrictions on sex, such as eliminated champions Spain and Germany, which only banned it on the night before a match, were considered to allow it.

Where a coach would not make his policy known, like the South Korean coach, or it could not be found reporting on the subject, the team’s policy was listed as unknown.

The site listed teams that have restrictions that are more nuanced as “it’s complicated.” For instance, Costa Rican players are banned from having sex until the second round (or presumably elimination.)

The French team’s rules on the matter hinge on the frequency, the type, and timing of intimacy. France’s former team doctor has said sex is “relaxing” for players, but shouldn’t be an all-night activity.

Nigeria allows wives, but not girlfriends and players of host nation Brazil can have sex as long as it’s not “acrobatic.”

Controversial as the subject may be, researchers have yet to find a link between sex and poor athletic performance, www.nationalgeographic.com confirms.

Ian Shrier, a sports medicine specialist at McGill University Montreal, Canada, said, “There are two possible ways sex before competition could affect performance

“First, it could make you tired and weak the next day-this has been disproved. The second way is that it could affect your psychological state of mind-this has not been tested.”