The sad mentality displayed by the Red Devils on Wednesday against Ukraine will not have left only unhappy supporters. The second place secured by the Belgian national team saves their fans a long trip: the first place meant a match in Munich, located 750 kilometers from Brussels. The Dusseldorf stadium, where the Devils will play on Monday, is only 200 kilometers away. Major consequence: many supporters will make the return trip the same day. And will not have to take more than one day off.
Despite this, Belgium is still likely to be in slow motion this Monday evening: during the round of 16 of a major competition – and even more so when it involves playing our great French rival – millions of Belgians traditionally gather behind screens, both small and large.
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The statistics prove it: financial transactions during high-stakes matches are usually lower than usual. Enough to push businesses to bring forward their closure to match the start of the match? “We have not heard of a trend towards early closure, confides Olivier Mauen, spokesperson for the National Union of Independents (SNI). But it is not impossible that certain businesses decide to close earlier. Because they want to see the match or because they believe that they will not have enough customers. However, this will be on a case by case basis.
And the sales?
With Monday marking the start of the sales, the drop in traffic in stores could ultimately be only marginal. Especially, we are told, that going shopping during the Devils match, for those who are not interested in football, could allow you to have sales more peacefully, without the traditional influx of the first days .
But if Belgium is still likely to be in slow motion this Monday, the Horeca sector will be operating at full speed. “The match is at 6pm, which is the ideal time,” comments Olivier Bauen. “Workers leave their offices, can go and watch the match in a café, have a bite to eat during or after the match, and then go home without it being too late. For companies, it is also an opportunity to organise a small internal event that helps strengthen ties.”
Some workers will still be busy, or even start their working day, at kick-off. For those of them who still want to watch their match, it is better to be careful. “Whatever their job, this worker is, in principle, not allowed to watch a Euro match during working hours,” Catherine Mairy, Legal Expert at Partena Professional, recently commented.
It is therefore best to ensure written authorization from your boss.
