Australian bosses came under pressure yesterday to give bleary-eyed fans of the Socceroos a day off work tomorrow after Australia's early morning World Cup clash with Brazil today.
With soccer fever gripping the nation, thousands of fans are expected to flood the streets of Sydney and other major cities for the match, scheduled to kick off at 2am Sydney time tonight.
Australian interest in the game has surged since the Socceroos came from behind to beat Japan 3-1 this week -- a surprise victory that sparked street celebrations across Australia.
ABL State Chamber, Australia's largest business lobby group, said companies should be flexible and allow staff to take a rostered day off or a day's leave.
The firm's regional manager, Mary Doherty, said doing so could foster goodwill between employees and management and boost workplace morale.
"The World Cup has really brought a sense of camaraderie," Doherty said. "People have united under the flag of green and gold."
She said many Australian businesses were allowing employees to dress in the national team colors, were providing televisions so that overnight shift workers could watch games and were allowing office tipping competitions.
The first match against Japan marked the Socceroos' return to World Cup soccer after 32 long years in the wilderness.
More than 3,000 people went wild after watching the victory on big screens at Melbourne's Federation Square.
Traffic was brought to a standstill in central Sydney after more than 300 chanting fans jammed the streets in a boisterous celebration.
Victoria Premier Steve Bracks said he expected the match against Brazil to be a big event in Melbourne.
"We want people to have a terrific time, and it is a great Aussie tradition to get behind your team, but I also want to encourage people to behave responsibly," he told reporters.
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