Rome, 11 April (AKI) - In a country where football is a national passion, it 's little surprise to learn a loss on the field can affect sexual performance.

Chiara Simonelli, associate professor of the psychology of emotional and sexual development at Rome's La Sapienza university, has found a direct link between a man's sexual performance and the performance of his favorite team.

"If the team close to his heart loses, he's depressed, his desire falls and the sex fades away," she said on Friday at the presentation of the 2008 report on, Italians in Bed.

"The passion for football can result in sleepless nights for Italian women," said Simonelli. She is also president of the congress of the European Federation of Sexology, which begins in the Italian capital Rome on Sunday.

"When his team loses, especially during important or decisive games, the night of the game risks bringing about a bad and sad mood," she said adding that these are major hindrances to intimacy.

Simonelli recommended that in such cases the women, instead of reacting with irritation, should try and be more understanding towards their partners.

She said the women should should "understand and cuddle their partner, in the same way one would do so if there is a crisis at work or a period that is particularly stressful in the office," adding that they then simply have to hope that his team wins the following week.