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England fans on edge

London - Football-mad British workers were preparing to take time off on Wednesday to watch England's crucial World Cup Group C match against Slovenia, as pubs braced for a surge in trade for the afternoon kick-off.

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The country's biggest labour union, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), called for bosses to be lenient on employees tuning in to the match - which was also to be aired on a big screen for football fans at the Glastonbury festival.

"Not everyone has caught World Cup fever, but there are people all around the UK who would like to support their countries at home, in the pub, or on the radio or internet at work," said TUC boss Brendan Barber.

"To avoid any tensions, bosses should discuss the issue with their staff. We would encourage them to let people watch the games if they like - and then claim back their time afterwards. That way, everyone wins," he added.

The match in Port Elisabeth is crucial to England's World Cup hopes of progressing beyond the group stage, after lacklustre draws in their first two matches against the United States and Algeria.

Special arrangements


Those matches were both evening fixtures, but Wednesday's was due at 15:00 British time, threatening disruption in workplaces across the land.

A survey by energy firm nPower suggested that 58% of businesses plan to let football fans watch the big game, with over a third - 39% - planning to screen the match in the workplace to boost morale.

To save energy and compensate for the expected power surge, the company even urged firms to "turn off computers, copiers and other non-essential equipment to keep energy consumption to a minimum" during the match.

According to the Guardian newspaper, many companies were making special arrangements.

Cereal giant Kellogg's has set up a screen in the atrium of its base in Manchester, while a marquee was put up at the Birmingham head office of life assurance company Phoenix Group, it said.

The British Beer and Pub Association expects three million people to watch the game in pubs and bars across the country.

Meanwhile Glastonbury organisers were showing the match live on the main Pyramid Stage screens, for fans arriving for the first day of the world's biggest music and arts festival.
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