JAKARTA - Freddie Ljungberg prefers to watch erotic films the night before the game rather than having sex. The reason, there are side effects that are not beneficial after he had sex.
The Premier League-winning playmaker for Arsenal made 75 appearances for Sweden between 1998 and 2008. He wore his national team's iconic yellow jersey during Euro 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands.
But unfortunately, in this tournament, Sweden is at the bottom of Group B following the defeat to the hosts in Brussels, a draw with Turkey, and another loss at the hands of Italy.
Sweden coaches Tommy Soderberg and Lars Lagerback imposed a 'no sex' rule for players in the days leading up to the tournament. And indeed, Ljungberg had complied with that rule.
The former Calvin Klein model admitted at the time that sexual intercourse left her far from ready for the next day's match. To that end, he found an alternative method to entertain himself.
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"After having sex the night before a game, I lost feeling in legs", Ljungberg said in 2000.
"I couldn't control the ball anymore. Instead I watched an erotic film the night before. It didn't affect my strength".
BBC Sport added that a similar ban was imposed on English players during France 1998. However, California-based Professor Todd Astorino revealed new facts regarding the regulation before the 2018 World Cup.
"Our findings support studies that conclude that sex the day before exercise does not affect athletic performance", he told The Sun.
He added that players may "have a better stress response, and increase emotional awareness" by having sex before a game.
Meanwhile, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola ridiculed an alleged sex ban at the club in 2016.
"There's no way you can play well if you don't have sex with your partner!", he exclaimed.
"I've never done that (banned it) and I will never forbid it. If you do... that's even better!"
Without a pre-match sex ban, City has won three Premier League titles in four seasons and narrowly lost to Chelsea in the Champions League final last month.
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