Jordan’s national team players take part in a training session at the Nashama Training Centre in Amman [Getty]
Jordan said on Sunday it will allow a late start to work for public sector employees on World Cup matchdays to let fans enjoy the national team’s debut appearance at the tournament.
A decree from Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said official working hours would begin at 10 a.m. instead of 8:30 a.m. for its Group J games against Austria, Algeria and Argentina which are being played in the U.S. on June 17, 23 and 28.
“The decision aims to enable citizens to follow and rally behind our national football team during its historic participation in this tournament,” said a government statement.
Jordan, popularly known as Al-Nashama (The Chivalrous Ones), qualified for the World Cup after finishing second behind South Korea in their Asian qualifying group, an unprecedented achievement that sparked nationwide celebration.
Switzerland beats Jordan 4-1 in rainy World Cup send off
Switzerland scored three goals in the first half but added only one more after the break as they beat Jordan 4-1 in their friendly international on Sunday.
The Swiss struck two penalties, both awarded after VAR reviews, to be 3-0 up at halftime.
Both teams are World Cup bound but there was an obvious gulf in class as Breel Embolo converted the first spot kick in the 28th minute after a foul on Remo Freuler.
Embolo provided a defence-splitting pass for Dan Ndoye to make it 2-0 five minutes later and a foul on Embolo in stoppage time at the end of the half saw captain Granit Xhaka convert the second penalty with the last kick of the half.
Jordan pulled one back in the 52nd minute through 20-year-old Odeh Fakhoury, who squeezed a shot into the corner of the Swiss goal from the edge of the penalty area.
Christian Fassnacht scored his first national team goal in five years to restore the Swiss three-goal advantage with 11 minutes left.
A sudden torrential downpour in the closing minutes saw the final whistle blown two minutes short of the 90-minute mark and the Swiss were forced to cut short their planned send off in front of their home fans before they head to the United States on Tuesday.
