"Staying up overnight and working the next day could exhaust watchers, making them lose their appetite," said the Vietnam News Agency.

"Shouting, screaming and yelling will hurt their throat, leading even to bronchitis," it added.

Football is by far the most popular sport in Vietnam.

In 2002, for the World Cup in Japan and South Korea, state-owned enterprises and state agencies had to let their employees watching games at work to avoid massive absenteeism.

This time, all games happen at night and some foreign companies complain about a very low efficiency among local staff.

"A good or bad performance by their favorite team could cause stress", VNA says. "Getting out of bed late and driving too fast to work the morning after is (also) a potentially fatal risk."

TAKE THAT!
Rome
Eggs of vengeance were thrown at the Danish consulate in Milan during the wee hours of Wednesday after a Sweden-Denmark tie (2-2) forced Italy out of the Euro 2004 football tournament.

"On arriving this morning we noticed that the front door and some of the facade had been dirtied by eggs," said Lars Eric Kruse, the Danish consul in Milan.

Amid rumors of a Nordic plot against the Italian team, football-crazed tifosi are furious at the high-scoring draw that enabled both of the Scandinavian teams to qualify for the quarter-finals at the Azzurri's expense.