Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chavez is giving all of his employees an extra lunch break on Tuesday. The country’s national football team will compete with New Zealand that day in Qatar for a place in the World Cup at the end of this year. The match will start at 12 noon in Costa Rica.
In a video message, Chaves said everyone who works in the government will have a long lunch break to watch the game. “Over 13,000 kilometers away, eleven fighters will be on the field, with the goal of achieving a historic qualification. Of course we all want to see this match.”
Chávez, 61, only recently became president of Costa Rica. He won the election earlier this year. Because Costa Rica is going through an economic crisis, Chavez decided to give up the possibility of declaring Tuesday a national holiday in which everyone would be free. He has also advocated for companies in his country to give employees a longer lunch break, so they can watch the football match in front of the television.
The winner of this intercontinental play-off will go to the World Cup in Group E with Germany, Spain and Japan. Costa Rica has participated in four of the last five World Cups. New Zealand competed twice in the World Finals, in 1982 and 2010.
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