It is a historic day for Britain with two football matches as Wales plays Iran and England plays the USA. Wales are favorites to win against Iran resulting in Welsh fans turning up to pubs for breakfast. According to employers, football-mad workers have been throwing “sickies” so that they can watch World Cup matches, which also coincide with many paydays.
Many will take the whole day off with four important matches today which is leaving some employers nervous and seeking legal advice.
Chris Macwilliam at Clough & Willis Solicitors said it had a spike in calls after England’s 6-2 win against Iran on Monday.
A YouGov poll found 11 million employees could take a day off during the Qatar World Cup.
Employment lawyers have warned fans they could be sacked if they are caught skiving work.
It is not just employees getting the day off. Train strikes have led one lucky man to be given five days off by his employer and resulted in him writing on the England Football Fans Facebook page he’ll use the extra time off to watch the games.
Forthcoming strike action taken by ASLEF union is expected to impact journey’s on Saturday 26th November across many lines including Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Heathrow Express, LNER, London North Western Railway, Northern, Southeastern, Stansted Express, TransPennine Express, and West Midlands Railway.
Meanwhile, in Qatar, Wales fans at the stadium are excited to watch the drama on the pitch.
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William Steeds, 50 from Aberystwyth said: “We’re so excited. We desperately need a win and I’m getting very nervous. The boys did us proud in the last match and I’m sure they won’t let us down. “
James Watson, 48 added: “We’re favorites to beat Iran but that’s not good for us because we like being the underdogs. I’m very excited and nervous but we’re going to sing our hearts out for the lads.”
Steeds said: “It will cost me £5,000 by the time I get home, which is a lot of money for two weeks. But this is an historic World Cup for us so we had to be here.
Mr Watson added: “It is one of the most expensive countries in the world but if we do well in this World Cup it will have been worth it.
“This is one of the most exciting chapters in Welsh football history so we had to witness it.”
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