It seems the world is getting ecstatic about the World Cup as soccer fans feast their eyes with exciting plays one after another. Chinese soccer fans are particularly happy with this year's tournament in South Korea and Japan, foremost, because China is playing in the World Cup final for the first time; and secondly, they no longer have to wake up in the middle of the night and watch a football match taking place on the other end of the world.

However, the Nanfang Metropolitan Daily says that although soccer fans are not likely to appear in public with heavy bags under their eye and yawning endlessly like they used to do, they will be prone to distraction by the World Cup at work and efficiency will drop as most matches overlap working hours in the afternoon.

But, what if work clashes with the World Cup?

The paper says it is an undeniable fact that Chinese people will pay much more attention to this World Cup as Chinese footballers are making their first appearance in decades. Taking this into consideration, the commentator suggests that maybe employers across the country can accordingly strike a balance between work and the World Cup for their employees.

(China Radio International June 5, 2002)