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World Cup Sex Guide

It's the eternal sporting question. Does sex before a big game improve your performance on the field or does a bit of pre-match nooky rob players of that winning aggressive edge? SPIEGEL ONLINE has the definitive answer.

The biggest story of the World Cup so far is undoubtedly the huge media presence afforded the wives and girlfriends of the top teams. Whether it’s the England team WAGS (wives and girlfriends) going on a spending spree in Baden Baden, or the German team's bevy of beauties in the stadium on matchdays, there's no doubting who the real stars of the tournament are. But, is it a good idea to let players and their girlfriends canoodle during a big tournament or would abstinence encourage players to take their frustrations out on the pitch and punish the opposition by defeating them? Or does being deprived of a bit of touchy-feely cause players to get grouchy and commit too many fouls? The science is inconclusive, so SPIEGEL ONLINE compares the sex policies of some of the big teams, and examines how this may have affected their on-field performance in the tournament so far.

England (Games Played 3 - Games Won 2 - Goals Scored 5 - Yellow Cards 4 - Sex Allowed? Yes Qualified for Next Round? Yes)

The way the press has covered the England team WAGS you'd be forgiven for thinking the soccer wives are staying in the same hotel, keeping the players up all night with their wild partying and wily ways. But while the England players are staying at the exclusive Buhlerhohe Schlosshotel in Baden Baden, the WAGS are ensconced close by in the luxurious €1375 a night Brenners Park Hotel. Players and girlfriends are only allowed to meet up on selected rest days, such as after England's wins against Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago. An FA spokesman told the People newspaper "The players had more than 24 hours off with the wives and girlfriends. This is standard procedure to help the team relax and Sven has done this before for the players in previous tournaments." But the team's slipshod performance against Sweden may cause manager Sven Goran Eriksson to think again. The WAGS might be proving a distraction and the England players need to keep their mind on the job.

Sweden (Games Played 3 - Games Won 1 - Goals Scored 3 - Yellow Cards 6 - Sex Allowed? Yes Qualified for Next Round? Yes)

When the Swedes could only manage a paltry draw against World Cup minnows Trinidad & Tobago, questions were asked about the players' attacking potency and ball skills. Coach Lars Lagerbäck knew there was only one thing for it: Allow the players to let off some steam so that passions could then be recharged for the next game. But, clearly passions were running too high. It was reported in the Swedish media that after the disappointing performance star player Fredrik Ljungberg and captain Olof Mellberg were involved in a "hot dispute" in the changing rooms, suggesting the players almost came to blows. The players were all subsequently granted a conjugal visit and judging by subsequent strong performances, it seems to have done the trick. "Having sexual relations is not forbidden," Swedish team spokesman Thomas Saletag told the Associated Press. "We haven't even thought of a sex ban."

Ukraine - (Games Played 2 - Games Won 1 - Goals Scored 4, Yellow Cards 5 - Red Cards 1 - Sex Allowed? Not till the semi-finals... Qualified for Next Round? Not yet)

Ukraine was trounced 4-0 by Spain in its opening game and many were left asking if the much-fancied team had the motivation to win. Hryhory Surkis, chairman of Ukraine's football association told a press conference, "We had plenty of other problems during the game but a lack of desire was the root cause…. I was surprised to learn [midfielder Andrij] Gusin and [defender Vladimir] Yezersky met with their wives in a bar [the day before the match]." But the Ukraine team has a neat solution to the problem which will also prevent any further fraternization with girlfriends for the time being. If the team gets to the semi-final of the World Cup, the Ukrainian coach has promise the players a visit from their girlfriends. "I would personally send my players to see their wives if we reach the semis … Those who don't feel like it, I'll just drag to their wives. Take my word for it," Oleg Blokhin told Russian daily Sport-Express. The message seems to have hit home. Ukraine beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 in its next game and now looks determined to reach the latter stages of the competition.

Ecuador (Games Played 3 - Games Won 2 - Goals Scored 5 - Yellow Cards 6 - Sex Allowed? No Qualified for Next Round? Yes)

Ecuador is one of the few World Cup teams to publicly announce a sex ban. Coach Luis Fernando Suarez has barred all hanky panky between players and girlfriends until after the World Cup is over. So far the tactic appears to have worked. Although defeated by Germany, Ecuador recorded two strong wins to reach the second round for the first time (they play England on Sunday). Announcing the sex ban at a press conference Suarez admitted the sex ban applied to him as well. Reuters reported a female journalist piped up, "Oh, that's good." Suarez was sanguine. ""No. No, it is not good … It is not good at all."

Italy (Games Played 2 - Games Won 2 - Goals Scored 3 - Yellow Cards 5, Red Cards 1 - Sex Allowed? No Qualified for Next Round? Not yet)

What's making the Italians so grouchy? So their tally of yellow cards may not be the worst in the tournament but anybody who saw the ill tempered bear fight that was the US-Italy match knows how fiery tempers have become in the Italian camp. (Daniele De Rossi was given a red card after he elbowed Brian McBride in the face.) Could the mood swings have anything to do with sexual frustration? Well, apparently Marcello Lippi has not only banned his players from having sex during the tournament but also barred their access to all the porn channels broadcast on hotel room TV sets. Still, young Italian players should thank their lucky stars they weren't in the squad last time round. Former coach Giovanni Trapattoni also introduced a sex ban at the last World Cup in Japan and South Korea. And, it is rumored his religious ardor was so intense that he would visit players in their hotel rooms and hear confession of their mortal sins. Trapattoni also kept a bottle of holy water next to him in the players' dugout pitch-side. Bless him.

-- Chris Bryant, 12:15 p.m. CET

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A D.I.Y Guide to Sweden's Footballers

When England secured a draw against Sweden on Tuesday, millions of Germans breathed a collective sigh of relief. Rather than Rooney and Co., the German national team will now face up to Sweden in the second round on Saturday, a much more acceptable proposition. Because after all, what is Sweden really good for apart from cheap IKEA furniture?

But Jürgen Klinsmann's men cannot afford to be complacent, and the players must study the tactical strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. Where does the team hold together best and where might they come unstuck? The Germans must break the Swedish team down into its nuts and bolts and then see if they can be decisively unhinged. Thankfully German tabloid Bild is on hand to assist today, and offers a handy appraisal of Sweden's top players by comparing them to household items commonly found in IKEA. "Ever had problems with the instructions for your new piece of IKEA furniture?" asks the paper. "Bild explains how to take the Swedes to pieces!" And, if the German players follow the Bild assembly instructions to the letter, then they'll surely throw a spanner in the works come Saturday.

Take the bearded Olof Mellberg for example. He plays in defense, so obviously Bild thinks he most resembles a gnarled wooden cupboard -- or "Defensive Cupboard Olof" for short. Just like a pre-fabricated IKEA wardrobe, Bild suggests Mellberg, 28, is liable to become a bit unsteady when overburdened. Also like a cupboard, Mellberg is both tall (1.87m) and heavy (85kg) but a tad unstable. So some quick passing and smart turns by Ballack and Podolski should keep Mellberg under lock and key, the paper suggests.

And then there's bald-headed striker Henrik Larsson, 34, who likes to keep things relaxed. Because he often seems to take things easy, starting on the bench but then suddenly springing into action to score a goal, Bild has christened Larsson "Easychair Henrik". At his age he is almost "antique", says the paper, and he tends to stick to the right flank and not get stuck into tackles. Tight marking by the German defense should send Larsson off into an early retirement the paper writes. Then he really will be able to put his feet up.

But don't forget Fredrik Ljungberg, the Arsenal midfielder with an attacking instinct, the paper warns. The German defense will have to watch out for him. Bild helps with the identification process by printing a picture of Ljungberg with an IKEA lampshade on his head. "The one [Swedish] export article of truly top quality" -- let's call him "Floodlight Fredrik". He scored a goal against Paraguay and demonstrated his lightning touch and electric pace throughout the group stages. German defender Arne Friedrich will have to get to grips with him as soon as possible. But no doubt on Saturday, with Bild's help, the German team will shed some light on the matter and furnish the right result.

-- Chris Bryant, 3:15 p.m. CET

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A Clash of Cousins?

This evening Australia takes on Croatia in a bid to make it into the final 16. And rather than being a straightforward duel between two nations, it's a bit like a clash of cousins. This is thanks to Australia's immigrant heritage. With Brazil dead certain to qualify, it will be a bittersweet day for the thousands of Croatian-Australians, with allegiances torn between the two. And this is reflected by the players on the pitch. While the Australian squad includes seven players of Croatian heritage, Croatia's line up should include at least one of the three Australian born players. Never mind national rivalry, as one caller told the BBC this morning, this is different, it's more like a kind of derby.

Croatians are a sizeable minority in Australia, and while there are officially 52,000 Croatian-born there, there are thousands more who claim ancestral roots in the country. And these are astoundingly overrepresented in Australian soccer. While most of the top players like Mark Viduka or Tony Popovic plumped for playing for their country of birth, Joey Didulicia, Josip Simunic and Anthony Seric took the other route, and are playing for the Eastern European mother country. "There's a lot of Australian-Croatian people that live in Australia and I think if we weren't playing against each other they'd be supporting Australia," Australia's assistant coach Graham Arnold told Reuters.

There is even a newlyweds twist to the tale, to show how close the two teams are: Josip Skoko of the Socceroos and Croatia's No.2 goalie Joey Didulica are both from Geelong, a seaside town not too far from Melbourne and even played together as children. Now the two are practically family following the wedding of their cousins. Goran Soko and Melinda Radojevic tied the knot a few weeks ago, and have decided to spend their honeymoon in Germany of all places, to soak up the World Cup atmosphere.

The Croats don’t seem to be averse to poaching players from the other parts of the diaspora, either. They also boast three players born in Germany: Ivan Klasnic from Hamburg, who plays for Bremen. Klasnic was approached by former German coach Rudi Voller to play for Germany, but he opted to stay true to his family roots. It was the same story with Berlin's Kovac brothers -- Robert Kovac of Juventus and Croatia captain Niko Kovac, who play for Hertha Berlin.

-- Siobhán Dowling, 3:50 p.m. CET

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Worldwide Fan Festivities

Pictures of Germany's Fan Fests have been beamed around the world. The crowds, numbering in their hundreds of thousands, have packed into the central squares of Germany's World Cup host cities and have helped to generate an electric atmosphere. But the World Cup has become a truly global phenomenon and those without a flight reservation to Germany have been celebrating back home in a colorful carnival of footballing mass hysteria.

The invention of the first mass-produced television sets brought prophesies that people would no longer feel the need to congregate en-masse to watch events of major significance. But time and again, the public has voted with its feet, rejecting the isolating four walls of the domestic living room, in favor of the infectious enthusiasm of crowd mentality.

So, from Sao Paulo to Sydney, Zocalo to Seoul, football fans have thronged in the hundreds of thousands to pay homage to their heroes. Whether comforting each other following a painful defeat, or indulging in joyous celebration after an epic victory, watching a game on a big screen amidst flag waving and horn blowing is an experience few will forget. The World Cup may be staged in Germany, but its reach stretches to public squares and parks around the world.

-- Chris Bryant and Heike Westendorf, 6:00 p.m. CET

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Click for yesterday's World Cup blog.