Coach Relents and Lifts His Ban on Sex for Swiss World Cup Team

Coach Roy Hodgson has relaxed a ban on sex during this summer’s World Cup soccer tournament after a strong protest from Switzerland’s players and their partners.

Wives now will be allowed to visit the players twice during the monthlong tournament, including after Switzerland’s June 18 match against the United States.

Hodgson, an affable Englishman, has become a national hero since coaching Switzerland to its first World Cup appearance in 28 years.

But he raised eyebrows and lowered morale by announcing the sex ban in March. Headlines such as “No Sex Please, We’re Swiss,” and “No Sex Please, The Manager’s British,” appeared around the world in a takeoff on the long-running London theater comedy “No Sex Please, We’re British.”

The debate over sex and sport is years old, and commentators remain divided over the benefits of abstinence.

Pele, the retired soccer great, said recently that late nights and lack of sleep are to blame for poor performance rather than sex.