The countdown has started! Euro 2016 will be welcoming its first supporters this Friday 10 June for the France vs Romania match at the Stade de France. This event, eagerly awaited by football fans, is not quite so welcome to most supporters’ wives. In fact, many are looking for excuses to avoid spending long evenings in front of the television. According to a survey by Gleeden, an extramarital dating site with over 3 million members, some will even be taking the opportunity to indulge in a little away game themselves! So what fate does Euro 2016 have in store for couples? Find out what over 10,000 members think.*
“If you’re going to see the match, I’m going to see my lover!”
Excitement, anticipation and eagerness are what many football fans will be feeling in the run-up to Euro 2016. But football can also be a real source of conflict for couples. Too often neglected for the sake of football, many women stray onto an altogether different playing field: infidelity. During the last World Cup in 2014, Gleeden, the leading European website for extramarital encounters, recorded a 71% increase in registrations by women, with an average of 1,400 women per day registering during the month of the tournament.
And women don’t seem much more enthused by the current European Championships. According to a recent YouGov survey, 54% of women will not be following the football event of the year. So what will they be doing instead? More than 5,000 female Gleeden members responded. For the majority of them (34%), the Euro matches will mainly be an opportunity for them to spend time with the girls while their men are busy. Others will just be making the most of the football to indulge in a little me time, which is what 27% of female respondents will be doing. Finally, almost a quarter of them (24%) intend to use the opportunity to spend some time with their lover! No chance of the women waiting on the subs bench! Only 12% of the women surveyed will be supporting their team alongside their other half.
Football – the preferred alibi for men who play away?
Hold on though, Euro 2016 or not, men too are entitled to their little peccadilloes. Based on responses from more than 5,000 of Gleeden’s male members, football is also the perfect alibi for indulging in their little extramarital affairs. Three quarters of the men surveyed (76%) admit to having previously used the excuse of going to the match with their mates to take time out with their lover at some time. Likewise, 77% admit to having covered for a friend who said he was going to a match with his mate as an alibi, when he was actually seeing his lover. By contrast, men do stay faithful to their team, since 63% of them say they would never would miss an England game for the sake of their beloved. Maybe these men are only football fanatics when it suits them?
The results of this Gleeden survey speak for themselves. Football seems to be the perfect alibi for unfaithful men and the dream excuse for women involved in extramarital affairs. This Euro 2016 truly promises to unleash some passion!
*Gleeden.com online survey conducted from 30 May to 5 June among 5014 female and 5036 male members.