Support The Moscow Times!

No Sex, No Success, World Cup Study Finds

Netherlands' national football team player Arjen Robben poses for a photo with a fan after a training session in Rio de Janeiro. Pilar Olivares / Reuters

All World Cup squads that forbade their players from having sex during the tournament failed to make it through to the elimination round, according to an analysis published by Quartz.

The four teams that imposed a total ban on sex during the World Cup — Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile and Mexico — all made an early exit from the tournament.

Six of the eight teams still vying for the title — including Brazil, France and the Netherlands — either have no ban on sex or impose only partial restrictions on the nature of their players' sexual activity. The sex policies of the two remaining squads, Argentina and Colombia, remain unknown.

Brazil, Costa Rica and France are among the squads that set limits on their players' sexual activity. Brazilian coach Luis Felipe Scolari said his players could have sex but without "acrobatics." The Costa Rican squad's ban on sex only applied to the group stage and the French players are allowed to have intercourse but "not all night."

Quartz considered that teams that allowed girlfriends and wives to visit with players in their hotel rooms and did not have an explicit sex ban were allowed to engage in intercourse. The digital news outlet also determined that nine teams had allowed sex without limits, and five other squads imposed certain restrictions on sexual activity. The sex policies of 14 World Cup teams remain unknown.

Despite scientific evidence that sex is not detrimental to athletic performance, many coaches of professional sports teams think that sexual activity can be tiring and distracting for their players.

See also:

Russia Coach Capello to Testify Before Parliament for World Cup Blunder

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more