German union bosses have called on employers to show leniency towards their football-supporting workers by allowing them to start work later the day after Germany's games in the World Cup. Because of the time difference, many matches in Brazil will kick off after midnight German time.

"It would a noble move by employers if they showed a bit of flexibility during the World Cup," said Robert Feiger, head of the construction, engineering and forestry union IGBAU. "For Germany games after 10pm, work should start a little bit later if possible."

"Employers and work councils should talk about rearranging shifts so that their staff can watch World Cup games," said Michael Vassiliadis of IG BCE, a union representing the mining, chemicals and recycling industries, where early shifts often start at 6am.

According to Bild newspaper, some employers' associations have already backed the proposals, and Wolfgang Steiger of the Christian Democratic Union party has suggested that bosses and employees could meet halfway.

With their proposals, German union leaders are showing a good dose of optimism about the prospects for the national team, rated alongside Argentina, Brazil and Spain as one of the strongest contenders for the title: with most of Germany's group games played relatively early, the team wouldn't kick off a match after 10pm CET until the round of the last sixteen.

Earlier this month, German authorities allowed late-night public viewing in designated areas during the tournament. Watching football together was "simply part of a World Cup", the environment minister, Barbara Hendricks, said.