Some nations take soccer (or football in most countries) so seriously that they make ridiculous rules for the players, in order to prevent injuries. The soccer club of Napoli, based out of Naples, Italy has one “specific” rule every season that is their key to preventing injuries.
This season, they have an interesting rule that I never imagined being true: No sex two days before a match.
News from Football Italia has stated:
“Avoiding sexual activity for two days before a game is fundamental to prevent muscular strains, contractions or inflammations,” Professor Alfonso De Nicola [Napoli's chief medic] told the Corriere del Mezzogiorno newspaper.
“It is the rule for our squad. There is also a specific work done by my staff and the fitness coaches which is aimed more at prevention than cure.”
This rule seems like quite a harsh one, and highly unrealistic. You have a team with young, athletic men; they’re going to attract the ladies.
However, last season in Milan, Kevin-Prince Boateng’s girlfriend did blame his thigh injury due to the fact they had sex 7-10 times/week. I don’t really know how this affected it, unless they had some gymnastic-like postures in the bed.
Better question is, how are they going to regulate this? Lock them up in a room and not let anyone in the room? And what would the Punishment be? Not allowed to play in the game, so your team loses its players?
Although I am not a soccer fan, I would be very interested to see how this works out for the Napoli team, especially since they already have a low rate of muscular injuries. But if it’s accurate enough, maybe we’ll be seeing it around the United States in other sports as well.
