For football enthusiasts in India the FIFA world cup 2026 wasn’t just about rooting for their favourite teams, it also meant sacrificing sleep, as most matches were broadcast past mid-night. While millions stayed up to catch the action, one football enthusiast allegedly paid a much bigger price.A Reddit post about an employee having his pre-approved leave cancelled after his manager connected his attendance record to the FIFA World Cup has gone viral, prompting discussions about workplace surveillance, trust and leave policies.The post, shared by a user claiming to be the employee’s former colleague, narrates how the football enthusiast’s attendance allegedly came under scrutiny after he began taking frequent leaves and arriving late to work during the tournament.According to the Reddit user, the employee had taken more leave than usual over the previous month. After his manager warned him about the absences, he reportedly stopped requesting leave but soon started reaching the office late. Whenever questioned, he blamed heavy traffic for the delays.The situation took an unexpected turn when another manager, who was said to be the employee’s friend, jokingly remarked that the repeated late arrivals were probably because he had been staying up to watch FIFA World Cup matches. The comment reportedly prompted the manager to compare the employee’s attendance record with the tournament fixture list.ElectronicStrategy43/redditAs per the post, the manager later called the employee into a meeting and presented his findings. The employee denied the allegation, insisting that traffic was responsible for his delayed arrivals. However, the manager allegedly pointed out that several of his leave days and late-arrival messages coincided with high-profile fixtures involving France, Portugal and Argentina.“The manager showed him all his past leaves and his late coming messages, and most of them were coinciding with the FIFA matches of France, Portugal and Argentina. Yep, the manager actually researched all about it,” the Reddit post read.The employee was reportedly issued a final warning and instructed not to take any further leave. However, he had already applied for leave nearly a month in advance for the Monday following the World Cup final, citing a family function.The Reddit user claimed the situation escalated after the manager came across a viral Instagram reel in which a school principal announced a holiday for students to watch the FIFA World Cup final. Following that, the manager allegedly informed the employee that his previously approved leave had been cancelled.When the employee maintained that he genuinely had a family function to attend, the manager reportedly asked him to provide supporting documents such as train tickets or an invitation card. According to the post, he was unable to produce either.“Manager sent this reel link to my friend and said, ‘Bewakoof kisi aur ko banana’ (Make someone else a fool),” the Reddit user wrote.The post claims that the employee was instructed to report to work at 9 a.m. on Monday.The post concluded “For now he has been strictly instructed to report on Monday sharp at 9 am and he doesn’t know what to do,” adding, “All thanks to Thomas Public School.”