Defensive Play

Japan’s state soccer team banned its players from having sex before World Cup games, a Japanese magazine reports. Soccer officials would not comment, except to say, “Even if the report was true, would that cause much of a problem to the players? Every one of them is thinking of nothing but the games.” Not so, apparently, the Belgian players. Belgian Eric Deflandre confirms he may have spoken a bit too broadly during an interview. When asked what he was taking to France, he answered “My soccer boots to play soccer and an inflatable doll because a month without a woman would be difficult.” After Belgian newspapers published the remark widely, Deflandre insisted the comment was a joke. “[My girlfriend] laughed, even my family laughed. It’s just the reporter who didn’t laugh.” (Reuters, 2) ...Yes, it would seem the reporter is indeed the only one not laughing.