Germany's Fear Of A 'Playboy Curse' Before The Women's World Cup Is The Only Thing More Dangerous Than The Madden Curse

[Source] - German international Giulia Gwinn has reportedly turned down a request from Playboy magazine to appear in a naked cover shoot ahead of the Women's World Cup.

Defender Sophia Kleinherne, who will be a member of Germany's squad, agreed to an interview with the magazine.

Concerns have also been raised over a potential 'Playboy curse', after five members of Germany's Under-20 national team posed in a cover shoot ahead of the 2011 World Cup.

The five players Annika Doppler, Kristina Gessat, Ivana Rudelic, Julia Simic and Selina Wagner were viewed as having struggled to make the breakthrough following the shoot.

Here we go. Time to add another curse in the sports world. We know about the curse of the Bambino (dead), the Madden Curse and everything else. Now we have the Germany Playboy curse. I'm not one to mess with fate. If there's past history and concerns about a curse, I'm staying away. Now it's not the only reason Gwinn turned it down, she was recovering from injury, which is keeping her off the team for this year's World Cup. 

You put curse on anything and I'm not fucking with it. Call me superstitious or whatever, I just don't mess with that sort of stuff. I like to play it safe, especially if it comes to my team. One good game wearing something, that t-shirt is going back on the next game. I'm sitting in the same spot, all that good stuff which 100% has a direct impact on my team's result. 

Plus, Germany has a chance to win this thing. They are the 4th favorites on the Barstool Sportsbook at +700. You can't take a risk when you're one of the favorites to win the Cup. You gotta play it safe and take calculated chances if you want to beat the USA in a sport we dominate. I wouldn't have even done that interview if I was a player. Stay away from anything labeled a curse.

Good luck in getting back to 100% health, Giulia: