German unions are asking employers to go easy on workers staying up late to watch Germany at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.

Unions representing forestry and mining workers, who often start in the early morning, have asked that shifts be rearranged to accommodate watching the World Cup.

The Guardian reports that the idea has political support, with Wolfgang Steiger of the Christian Democratic Union supporting a change in arrangements.

With a five-hour time difference between the two countries, Germany will play two group games at 9pm German time and one at midnight. And if the team progresses as far as the semi-finals, which would not take anybody by surprise, the game would begin as late as 1am.

Irish workers have it marginally better, being one timezone closer to the action (and not having a team there to stress us out); but football fans across Europe will have to endure a few bleary-eyed mornings in work this summer.