During
this year's World Cup, there's no shortage of pressure on footballers to
perform - although only some of them are allowed to hone their
performance off the field as well.
When it comes to 'letting off steam' in the bedroom, Quartz reports that each team has its own set of rules, from who they can have sex with to when exactly they're allowed to do it.
The
Russian players, for instance, are told to abstain altogether, while
the Brazilian team is allowed to have as much sex as they please, so
long as it is not 'acrobatic' - presumably so as not to cause injury to
the players.

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Sex policies: When it comes to having sex
during the World Cup, each team has its own set of rules. Spain's Gerard
Pique, for instance (pictured) is free to do as he pleases - except on
the night before a match

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Peak performance: Gerard's long-term
girlfriend Shakira, however, has revealed that she'll be keeping her
distance from him throughout so as not to distract him
Mexico, Chile and Bosnia and Herzegovina have also all banned their players from being 'distracted' from the game.
This
was likely upsetting news for Chile's Eduardo Vargas, who looked all
fired up when he scored the winning goal against Spain today.
Safet Susic, the coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina's team, is particularly adamant in his strict no-sex stance.
'There will be no sex in Brazil,' he told reporters in April. 'They
can find another solution, they can even masturbate if they want. I am
not interested what the other coaches do, this is not a holiday trip, we
are there to play football at the World Cup.'
Whether or not this policy was any factor in their loss against Argentina on Sunday remains unclear.
On the
other end of the spectrum, neither the U.S. nor England face any kind of
restrictions when it comes to bedroom activities.

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No outlet: Chile banned its players from having
sex, which was likely upsetting news for Eduardo Vargas (pictured), who
looked fired up when he scored the winning goal against Spain today
This
was likely a happy realization for the U.S.'s Clint Dempsey when he
scored the first goal against Ghana on Monday, which ended in victory
for his team.
Clint
brought Bethany, his wife of seven years and the mother of their three
young children, with him to Brazil for the tournament.
The
stunning educational psychologist and her footballer beau met at Furman
University in Greenville, South Carolina, and dated for a year before
they got hitched.

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Free to let off steam: The U.S. does not have
any intimacy restrictions - which means Clint Dempsey (left) was free to
'celebrate' with his wife Bethany (right) after his team's win against
Ghana on Monday
And
when England lost to Italy on Saturday, at least Wayne Rooney was able
to seek consolation from his wife Coleen, who flew out to watch him
play.
Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Uruguay and Switzerland are also free to indulge in bedroom romps as they so please.
For
Nigerian players, it's a little more complicated; according to the
rules implemented by their coach, wives are fair game during the World
Cup, but girlfriends and other romantic interests are not.

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Support system: Thanks to England's lax attitude
to sex during the tournament, both Frank Lampard (left) and Wayne
Rooney (right) are free to be intimate with their other halves

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Power couple: Adam Lallana is one of England's most exciting new young stars. He brought his wife Emily Jubb along to Brazil

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High-profile WAGs: Steven Gerrard's wife Alex
(left) and Joe Hart's fiancee Kimberley Crew (right) were both flown out
to Brazil to help relieve the English players' stress
And
the ways in which French players are allowed to spend their after-hours
is dependent on the frequency, type and timing of intimacy.
A doctor
who used to work for the team explained that while sex can
be 'relaxing' for footballers, it should not be an all-night activity.
When
Shakira arrived in Brazil last week, she gave an exciting musical
performance with Pit Bull that had spectators revved up for the games to
come.
But when
it comes to 'revving up' her long-term beau Gerard Pique, who is playing
on defense for Spain, the singer has very different intentions.

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Game changers: Italian player Mario Balotelli
proposed to his girlfriend Fanny Neguesha last week. His team does not
enforce any rules against sex during the World Cup

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Italian ladies: Fanny (left) and Antonio Cassano's wife Carolina (right) watch their other halves in action
Even though Spain allows its players to have sex - apart from on the night before a match - Shakira told Fox News Latino on Thursday that she plans to keep her distance from Gerard so as not to distract him.
'I guess
you are referring to the "extracurricular activities,"' she joked. 'In
that sense, sure, we need to respect what is called a concentration
because, if not, it would be a distraction.'
And she has ample reason to believe that abstinence may well be the key to World Cup success.

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Don't get too crazy: The Brazilian team is
allowed to have as much sex as they please - so long as it is not
'acrobatic'. Pictured: Brazilian player Ricardo Kaka and his wife
Caroline Celico
Four
years ago at the World Cup in South Africa, where they first met, 'He
told me: "I am going to win this World Cup so that we can see each other
at the finals," and he won,' she said.
So
far this year, however, his tactics have not proved fruitful, with
Spain having lost to the Netherlands on Friday and Chile today.
Some of
the countries - including Japan, Algeria, Belgium, Greece and Portugal -
don't have clear-cut intimacy guidelines.
Others, like South Korea, choose not to reveal their policies at all, even if they do exist.

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Go for it: According to his team's policy,
German player Bastian Schweinsteiger is free to celebrate - or
commiserate - with his girlfriend Sarah Brandner
In
any case, past studies have shown that sex before a competition has no
significant negative effect on an athlete's strength or endurance.
In fact, Juan Carlos Medina, general coordinator of the sports department at the Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico, told CNN in 2012 that athletes can actually benefit from a little 'fun and games' before a big game.
'Even
Pele confessed that he never suspended sexual encounters with his wife
before a game,' he said. 'I mean, that thing about sex helping to relax
is a verified truth.'
Algeria: Unknown
Argentina: Unknown
Australia: Allowed
Belgium: Unknown
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Banned
Brazil: Banned on the night before a match
Cameroon: Unknown
Chile: Banned
Colombia: Unknown
Costa Rica: It depends
Cote d'ivoire: Unknown
Croatia: Unknown
Ecuador: Unknown
England: Allowed
France: It depends
Germany: Allowed
Ghana: Unknown
Greece: Unknown
Honduras: Unknown
Iran: Unknown
Italy: Allowed
Japan: Unknown
Korea: Unknown
Mexico: Banned
Netherlands: Allowed
Nigeria: It depends
Portugal: Unknown
Russia: Banned
Spain: Allowed
Switzerland: Allowed
Uruguay: Allowed
U.S.: Allowed
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