Men can choose soccer over sex

"I want to watch football" has become the top excuse to get out of having sex - with 40 percent men willing to shun sex for the game - a fascinating survey reveals.

Many are also likely to fake illness or injury this summer to avoid sex.

"Saying 'I've got a bad back' or 'I'm too tired' made up the top three excuses with 'I've got a headache' and 'I've been working late' completing the top five," a Durex poll involving 2,000 British men showed.

Even if they do get intimate with their partners, 42 percent will try to "get it over with quickly" in order to watch football, the poll findings added.

Over 37 percent, however, say they would accept sex only if they can still keep the TV sets open to watch football side by side.

"There is a well-worn stereotype of women making excuses to avoid sex, but it seems that when football is on, the tables are turned," a Durex spokesperson was quoted as saying in media reports.

"Excitement levels for football fans across the globe are reaching fever pitch and for some, the passion they feel for the beautiful game is at par with, if not greater than, that for their partner," the spokesperson added.