Of sex, abstinence and football managers

When I first read the report on a dossier advising Indian cricketers to have sex, I couldn’t suppress a chuckle. While the intentions may be good, the way it was put across was ludicrous, e.g. going into details of what one should do in case one didn’t have a partner.

What surprised me more was Kirsten’s denial. “The leaked article was written by Mr Paddy Upton and provided information for the players on the relationship between sexual activity and sports performance. I never wrote the article and read it for the first time two days ago. It has never been and never will be part of team strategy,” Kirsten said.

I don’t understand why such a big deal is being made of the whole issue. These are grown up men with sexual needs we are talking about. Nor is Gary/Paddy’s theory new. Sport and sex has always mixed. Scientists, coaches, trainers and sportspersons still have varying views on the effects of sex on performance. While some propose that it stimulates the production of testosterone levels, thus boosting aggression, others claim that it can affect concentration levels.

Back in 2002, Luis Felipe Scolari banned the Brazil football from having sex throughout the tournament. He famously said anyone who could not “go without” for a few weeks was an “animal”. Whether his instructions were followed is questionable as stories emerged of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho partying with local beauties in South Korea. But, Brazil went on to win the World Cup, beating Germany in the final.

Four years later, Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira encouraged players to indulge during the tournament in Germany. “I don’t think that sex one day before the game will have any harm on the player. Just sex, no problem. The problem is, they don’t eat, they don’t sleep, they smoke and they drink. That is the problem. Sex? No, sex is always very good - always welcome,” Parreira had said. It so happened that Brazil were lacklustre throughout the tournament and lost to France (0-1) in the quarterfinals. Did sex have something to do with it?

England are another high profile football team that has been known to give importance to what goes on under sheets. Sven Goran Eriksson always allowed wives and girlfriends (WAGs) on tour. England didn’t go beyond quarterfinals in the World Cup when he was around. Their current coach, Fabio Capello has allowed the WAGs to travel to South Africa in 2010 but has warned that it will be only on ‘his terms’. Does that mean there will be visiting hours?

Sex or abstinence, what works best, the debate will linger on. Wouldn’t it be best to just leave it to the individual?