Jordan Delays Working Hours for World Cup Matchdays

Jordan's historic first World Cup trip just got a little sweeter for its citizens, and a little later for its alarm clocks. The country has officially declared that public sector employees can roll into work fashionably late on matchdays, giving fans time to cheer on the national team's long-awaited debut at the tournament. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan made it formal in an official statement: working hours will kick off at 10 a.m. instead of the usual 8:30 a.m. for Group J clashes against Austria, Algeria and Argentina, played in the U.S. on June 17th, 23rd and 28th. That's an extra 90 minutes in the morning, roughly the same length as a match, coincidentally, of course. The Arab nation punched its ticket to the World Cup by finishing second behind South Korea in their Asian qualifying group, triggering celebrations so widespread that the government decided the party should spill into the workweek too.