Napoli ban sex two days before matches to prevent injuries

Football clubs are always looking for new ways to prevent and reduce the number of injuries that they inevitably experience each season and Napoli have one rule that they credit with keeping their number of muscle injuries low: No sex for two days each match.

From Football Italia:

"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 theCorrieredelMezzogiornonewspaper.

"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."

Whether the sex ban is the reason or not, Napoli have had a low number of muscular injuries. Still, this seems like a harsh rule and one that is probably veryimpracticalfor wealthy young footballers. A ban on certain positions would probably be moreappropriate. Also, banning Marek Hamsik from biting the heads off his partners immediately after the act would probably be a good idea for legal reasons.