Nine in 10 British men fake their love of sports to impress their friends and colleagues

Only nine per cent of men have not lied to others about enjoying a sport

Football was the most fibbed about, with 61 per cent hiding their dislike

The national game was followed by F1, cricket, gold and rugby



One in three admitted to lying because they thought it would aid their career



Nine out of ten men lie about liking sports to impress friends or to get ahead at work, it was revealed today.



Football was the game that men most faked a love of, with two out of three admitting they gushed to mates about the national sport to avoid being unpopular, a survey found.

The poll of more than 500 Britons, released today, revealed that only nine per cent of sports fans have never faked their love of it.

Sports fatigue: Nine out of ten men have lied about liking sports to be popular (file picture), a new survey has revealed

Not knowing your Arsenal from your elbow: Aaron Ramsay celebrates a goal at Marseille last night but two thirds of men have lied about liking football to be popular, it emerged today

'I really detest football but it’s all my mates talk about. I’ve learned to bluff about it so I’m not left out of conversations, but most of the time I just find it boring. Luckily there’s usually beer to drink,' one man polled said.

More than half of the men asked, 52 per cent, said they had lied about enjoying Formula One despite secretly hating it.



'It’s cool to like F1 but the truth is it’s just incredibly loud cars going round and round and round. I went along to a race once, for large parts I wasn’t actually sure who was winning,' another survey participant said.



RUNNERS AND RIDERS: SPORTS THAT MEN LIE ABOUT LIKING

1. Football 61%

2. F1 52%

3. Cricket 46%

4. Golf 34%

5. Rugby 27%

6. Boxing 17%

7. Athletics 13%

8. Horse racing 12%

9. Snooker 6%

10.Tennis 2%

And despite England beating Australia in 3-0 the Ashes this summer, 46 per cent had lied about enjoying the sport and understanding its rules.

Just over a third of people surveyed - 34 per cent - fibbed about liking golf, often because it is a sport that they believe could help them get promoted or find a new job.

A quarter of blokes said that they didn’t like ruby but hid it and 13 per cent lied about liking athletics.

Tennis and snooker were among the sports that people were least likely to hide a dislike of.



A spokesman from LHDcarsupermarket.com, who carried out the survey said: 'It was a surprise that so many men lied about liking football. It makes me wonder whether it really is the nation’s favourite game?



'There must be a lot of men out there lying to look good with friends and enduring dull nights in order to be part of the group. With 9 in 10 male friends lying about the sports they like this survey could change what men talk about in the pub.'



