Men will spend £56 million this summer bribing their girlfriends to let them watch Euro 2004 matches, new research claims.

One in two men admitted they would either have to treat their partner in order to watch the tournament or promise to behave well, according to off-licence chain Thresher.

Just under a third of men said they would have to promise not to get too drunk while 27 per cent would make sure their friends left the house by a certain time.

One in three fans said they would have to agree to give their partners a nice evening in return for a night of football while 25 per cent were collectively prepared to spend £22.1 million taking their girlfriends out and 17 per cent said they would spend just under £8 million cooking a meal and having a bottle of wine.

The most expensive bribe was giving girlfriends money to go shopping, with 17 per cent of men ready to part with £50 each to ensure they could watch the tournament.

Other promises included calling their partner at half-time, not betting too much on the game, being home by a certain time and letting them have the house to themselves at a future date.

YouGov questioned 500 men last month.

Friday June 04, 2004