The 2022 Qatar World Cup is fast approaching and while everyone is figuring out where they’re going to watch, millions of Brits are said to be planning sickies already.
As games are running from anywhere between 10am and 7pm, Monday-Friday, England and Wales fans are already thinking of ways to squeeze the games into the working week.
Not only does the first game of Qatar 2022 start at 4pm on 20 November but England’s first match against Iran kicks off at 1pm the following day — on a Monday no less! As for the Welsh, they’re earliest fixtures is their second game which starts at 10am. Oof.
With that in mind, more than 30% of British workers have admitted they will call in sick so they can watch their respective teams play, as per a study by ‘Road to Victory‘: Europe’s largest fan zone.
The massive space set up by interactive experience and events provider AIX Live is showing every England game in Manchester’s Depot Mayfield this World Cup, but they’ve also been looking into what the fans are planning to do get watch the games during working hours.
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According to RtV‘s research, the top three excuses fans are expected to give to their employers in order to miss a day of work are vomiting and diarrhoea (14%), followed by migraines (4.5%) and finally Covid (3.6%). Hey, we’ve all pulled a sickie for much less important reasons.
As for those still enjoying work-from-home days, over two-thirds (61.4%) say they plan to skip going into the office to watch the footy whilst ‘working’ from the comfort of their own gaff.
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Moreover, despite everyone obviously planning to pull a sickie and skive off work to watch the Three Lions and The Dragons, almost half of workers in the UK (46%) said they would take an ‘honest’ half-day holiday if their employers offered one. These numbers are extrapolated form a surey of over 2,000 fans.
Credit: England (via Twitter)Credit: FA Wales
However, that isn’t enough for Road to Victory, as they have started a petition for businesses around the nation to issue half-day for all England fans wanting to watch the first game. Sounds fair to us.
Speaking directly to employers, their campaign aims to discourage faking calling in sick and unnecessary WFH days by promoting the match as a team-building exercise where employees can hopefully celebrate the victory together.
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We recently went to Depot Mayfield to get a sneak peek at Road to Victory, as it happens. It was seriously impressive. Certainly worth pulling a sickie for!
AIX Live’s David Norris said: “The upcoming world cup is not just about supporting England, it’s an opportunity for friends, family and employees to come together and celebrate victory.
“The Lionesses won gold this year – and now it’s time for the boys to bring home the trophy.
“With the world cup taking place in Qatar, more fans than ever will be supporting from home in the UK and it’s the responsibility of businesses to ensure that employees are able to celebrate.
“Sign the petition – and let’s make a milestone change.”
You can watch the Champions League final at a massive fan park in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Fancy soaking up the atmosphere and watching the Champions League final surrounded by thousands of other football fans?
Well, there’s a massive fan park coming to Manchester that’ll let you do just that.
As Manchester City set their eyes firmly on what would be a historic treble title-winning season, the Sky Blues just have a showdown against Inter Milan in the final of European football’s flagship tournament to get past first – and the UK’s leading sporting fanpark brand, 4TheFans, is inviting fans to catch all the action live at a huge Champions League-dedicated indoor and outdoor fan park on Saturday 10 June.
Following its sold-out EURO 2020 and World Cup 2022 fan parks – which saw tens of thousands of fans come together to cheer on England – 4TheFans is back with its massively-popular immersive fan experience.
3,000 footy lovers will be put at the heart of the action as they enjoy the biggest final in Europe.
With less than a week to go before the big day, tickets are already being snapped up fast so you’ll need to be quick if you want to make sure you grab yours too.
Every tackle, every shot, and every piece of skill will be shown on four massive anti-glare screens that are backed up with a world-class sound system to deliver a genuine big game atmosphere that’s as close to the real thing as you can get.
And if (when) Man City score, then get ready for big celebrations with special effects, pyrotechnics, and cO2 cannons.
4TheFans is back with a massive Champions League final fan park in Manchester / Credit: 4TheFans
As well as getting to catch all the live game action, there’ll also be a Sky Sports presenter and a soon-to-be-announced City football legend on hand to give their match analysis as part of an interactive show, as well as DJs blasting out tunes, and competitions and giveaways to get involved in.
With all ages welcome, making it the most family-friendly fan park in Manchester, little football-loving Mancs can also take on their parents in penalty shootouts, and try out a precision wall to test their shot accuracy.
To top it all off, there’ll also be some award-winning street food and drink to tuck into too.
Football fans can watch the biggest match in Europe surrounded by thousands of others / Credit: 4TheFans
4TheFans Champions League Final Festival Fan Park is taking over Love Factory in central Manchester on Saturday 10 June from 3pm, and for any Man City fan who can’t make it out to Istanbul to see the game live in person, we think you’ll agree that this is an absolutely unmissable alternative.
Tickets are on sale now, with prices starting at £8 per person for a group of six, and £10 for individual tickets – with a VIP box starting at £75 per person.
Marcus Rashford grins with ‘huge sense of pride’ as he wins two Manchester United awards
Emily Sergeant
Marcus Rashford took home two major wins at Manchester United’s annual end of season awards ceremony last night.
After enjoying an impressive run of form, and having taken his career to new heights over the last nine months or so, the 25-year-old forward was named both ‘Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year’, and ‘Players’ Player of the Year’ at Manchester United‘s annual awards last night – which closed out a respectable 2022/23 season for the Red Devils.
His successful season saw Rashford top the United fans’ vote for the historic Sir Matt Busby Award, making him the the first Academy graduate to do so since 1998, as well as being named the most popular player among his teammates.
Rashford took to social media to speak of his “huge sense of pride” after pulling off the double win.
Alongside sharing a picture of himself with a huge beaming smile, Rashford said in a heartfelt thank you to the team and his fans on social media that it was an “incredible honour” to win both of the coveted awards, and that the support of everyone “means the world”.
“Thanks to the manager and all the staff for their phenomenal help all year,” he continued, “I couldn’t do it without you all.”
He also looked ahead to the FA Cup final against cross-town rivals and current Premier League champions, Manchester City, this Saturday (3 June), and promised fans that the team has full focus on the game as they aim towards “one last push for silverware”.
“We’ll leave it all at Wembley for you,” he insisted.
Marcus Rashford grins with ‘huge sense of pride’ as he wins two Manchester United awards / Credit: Marcus Rashford (via Instagram)
Rashford also spoke in a follow-up post of the “huge sense of pride” he feels after making history for Academy graduates with his Player of the Year award.
“It’s been a long time since an Academy player has won this award,” he acknowledged.
“I feel a huge sense of pride, and hope more Academy players can go onto win this award and feel how I’m feeling.”
Speaking of the success of his season on stage as he collected his two awards, Rashford said in his thank you speech: “The main reason why I came back into the season in the condition I was because that was probably my first summer where I was off.
“I was just hungry to get started with the new manager [and] new staff. In my mind I just had a positive feeling and based of this season, I wasn’t wrong, but I hope we can keep pushing and keep moving forward.
“I just want to say a big thanks to my teammates and the staff, because without them pushing you every day in training, you don’t get to see the best version of me.
Danny Jones -
8th November 2022 
