The FIFA World Cup is now at its business end – only the final and the third place games remain and the new world champion will be crowned on Sunday. While several football fans admit they will go into footballing limbo before the next league seasons begin next month, many fans are actually breathing a sigh of relief. With several knockout games going into extra time and penalty shootouts, a lot of matches stretched to almost 2.30am (all of Croatia’s knockout games have ventured into extra time). This meant that a lot of NCR fans had to stay up till late, knowing well they had work the next day. While many skipped work citing sudden mysterious ailments, others are skipping morning workouts due to late-nighters. Several corporate employees say they skipped work after a late-night game in order to catch up on some sleep. “After the Croatia-Denmark game went into penalties, I stayed up late and as a result, was sleepy the next day at work. So, I decided that if any of the future night games went into overtime, I would skip work. And two days later, England and Colombia played till 2.30am, with England winning on penalties. I texted my boss that I was unwell as the match looked to be heading for extra time, and so, I slept till late the next day,” says Sarvesh*, a banker who lives in Sector 43.Priyanka Dubey*, a fashion designer who works in Sector 15, Gurgaon, says, “I completely lose track on time while watching FIFA matches. I have often been late to office the next day and my manager has scolded me for it. But I have to keep making new excuses every time. In fact, I have even taken leaves for oversleeping but I had to lie to my boss – obviously, I couldn’t tell him that I got late because I was up the night before watching a match.”Others opted to work from home because asking for leave during the peak vacation season was tough. Ratna Kukreja, a marketing professional from Sector 43, Noida, says, “Honestly, I wanted to just sleep in and not work after two back-to-back late nights but many people from my team are on leave. Har koi kahin ghoomne gaya hai. So, I took a work from home instead. That way, I slept till late too and was still able to work.” Even managers and bosses noticed that a lot of football crazies were conveniently falling sick a lot during the World Cup but they said they were lenient about it as long as work didn’t suffer. Priyank Arora, a manager with an IOT consultancy, says, “I knew that a few of the people were coming in late or taking off because of FIFA World Cup, but I wasn’t too strict on them. It’s just a month-long thing and only a few crazy football fans do this anyway. And I straight up called one of them out on it after this second ‘sick day’. Uske baad se guilt mein all of them worked extra hard. Work didn’t suffer.”Kuldeep Palia, an IT professional who works in Sector 62, Noida, says, “I usually reach office late and thanks to the World Cup, I reach even later. So I have decided to work from home and thankfully, my manager is okay with it.”Rohit Arya, a resident of Sector 100, Noida, says, “Ever since the World Cup started, I have tried to wrap up my work by 7pm so that I can come back home and sleep from 8pm to 11pm as most of the matches begin after 11pm. After the matches get over, I would again go to sleep at 2-3am. This way, I fulfil my required quota sleep. In the last two matches involving Croatia, I took a half-day and when I called my boss, informing him that I will be late, he laughed and said he will be late too. He supports Croatia and was up till late, watching the matches.”A few lucky ones say they have found balance at work since their bosses and clients are fans themselves. Prabhakaran Mohan, who works with an affiliate of British Telecom, says, “I usually stay up till 2-3am watching the game, wake up early for my morning run, and then go back to sleep before work. But even then, I am a little groggy by office time, which can lead to a few errors at times. Thankfully, I work with British clients so I tell them if I goof up in work, it’s because I was up all night supporting the England team. They seem to be ok with it so far.” Lakshmi Singh, who works with a consultancy in Cyber City , Gurgaon, says, “I was dreading reaching work late two days in a row because I overslept after watching the late night games, but as it turned out, instead of scolding me, my manager actually discussed the game. He turned out to be a fan as well and we both support England.”But the late night games haven’t just affected work in NCR. The fitness crazy town has seen its morning runs and workouts getting interrupted too. Sector 50, Gurgaon resident Neetin Verma says, “I am preparing for a triathlon that takes place in August so anyway, I get up early to train. There have been days when I have gone to sleep at 3am and woken up at 4.30 to train. On such days, by afternoon, I feel like I will shut down, but soldier on thinking bas kuch hi din ki aur baat hai. Waise bhi World Cup 4 saal mein ek baar aata hai.” Others have given up their morning workouts till the World Cup is over so that they can catch the late night games and sleep. “I have given up on my morning cycling and running routine. I can’t stay up till 3 and then get up at 5 again to work out, and then go to work also at 9. I will resume my morning workout only after the 15th. This way, I can at least sleep till late and be semi-functional at work,” says Ratika Singh, a software consultant from Sector 15, Gurgaon.Prateek Thakur, a resident of Sector 93, Noida, says, “My morning cycling routine has gone for a toss ever since the World Cup started. Earlier, I would regularly cycle for at least one hour before starting my day but now, that has come to a total stop. Since I am not getting proper sleep, I am unable to take up any other other form of workout. My fitness routine will resume only after the World Cup concludes."Iti Kumar, an HR professional and resident of Sector 93, Noida, says, “Football fever runs in our family and watching late night matches together is a ritual for us. Since we are up till late hours, my fitness regime has gone for a toss. Matches end up by 1-1.30am but then I stay awake till 3-3.30am as I keep analysing the matches and keep reading more about the teams and players and keep doing some predictions. Since I sleep late, I even wake up late, and due to that, I am not being able to do yoga regularly.”Col Kabir Kashyap, an avid follower of football and a resident of Sector 37, Noida, says, “I am an early riser and very particular about my fitness regime. However, on days there are late night matches, it gets difficult to juggle work and leisure but honestly, I don’t mind that as it is a once-in-four-years event.” He adds, “I usually stay up till 2-3.30am for late night matches and the next day, I have to slightly cut down on my daily workout and make up for it by exercising for a longer duration on the days when there are no exciting matches.”(*Names changed)-Richa,Sharma1@timesgroup.com

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