Football fans warned they could be sacked if they pull a sickie to watch World Cup

If you do this when you’re meant to be working, beware (Picture: Getty)

It’s now just one week before England’s first match in the World Cup, when they will face Iran in the group stage.

No doubt there will be lots of people wanting to see the game – but there’s just one problem, in that it will be shown at 1pm on Monday afternoon.

For most of us, that means we’ll be busy beavering away at work, with a lunch break unlikely to cover the full thing.

Some therefore may be tempted to invent an illness to ensure they can get some time away from their desk, especially if others have already claimed the annual leave slots.

But this is a risky strategy, with an employment lawyer warning it could be ‘gross misconduct’ and lead to you being fired.

One fan found this out first hand in the Euro 2020 tournament last year.

Digital content producer Nina Farooqi, 37, pretended to be ill so she could travel from Ilkley, west Yorkshire, to London for the semi-final at Wembley when England faced Denmark.

Football fan Nina Farooqi got a call from her employer as she travelled to work the next morning (Picture: Nina Farooqi)

She was caught out when her boss saw her on TV – and then phoned her to tell her not to bother coming back in.

Andrew Knorpel, consultant solicitor at Richard Nelson LLP, said that anyone doing the same is putting their job at risk, though the temptation could be there as many of the matches will be played within working hours due to the time difference between the UK and Qatar.

He said: ‘With England having come agonisingly close to winning the European Championships last year, the anticipation around the World Cup will only grow in the coming week. 

‘While many England fans may be worried about missing the team’s first group stage match, we’d encourage them to have an open discussion with their employers about their working arrangements for that day. 

‘Where possible many companies may be able to offer an extended lunch break or even remote working for the afternoon and this is something we’d encourage. 

‘If this cannot be granted, employees should consider taking annual leave rather than resorting to pulling a sickie.

‘If an employer thinks their employee has called in sick and it is not genuine, they can investigate the case and take disciplinary action over unauthorised absence.’

Employment lawyer Andrew Knorpel warned people of the risks (Picture: Richard Nelson LLP)

If a worker does lie or exaggerate an illness or injury for the purpose of getting time off work when in reality they are fine, this would amount to gross misconduct and a fair reason in some circumstances for being let go by their employer. 

Should workers be granted special permission to watch the game, Mr Knorpel encouraged them to act responsibly. 

Fans who are under the influence of alcohol when they return to work later that day, or who otherwise do anything which might bring their employer into disrepute could also leave themselves at risk of being fired. 

Football superfan Nina told the Telegraph after it happened to her last year: ‘It’s mixed emotions: we’re through to the final, I’m still on that high, but I’ve also lost my job.

‘There is a bit of regret, no one wants to get fired, but then also I would have hated the regret of missing out. I’d do it all over again.’

Charles Taylor, director at her former company Composite Prime, said: ‘It’s an exciting time for everyone in England and given the opportunity, we would have encouraged attendance to such an important football match.

‘Unfortunately on this occasion our employee lied, taking one day off sick to attend the football match on Wednesday 7 July. This was in breach of her employment contract and so we had no choice but to take the appropriate action.

‘As a business we value honesty and integrity, and we don’t tolerate any employee taking advantage of our policies. Like many businesses will be doing across the county, our staff will be having Monday morning off to hopefully recover from celebrating an England win.’

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An employment lawyer warned it counts as gross misconduct – and one fan found this out first hand in the Euro 2020 tournament last year.