England fans across the country are excitedly gearing up for Sunday’s Euro 2020 final against Italy, the Three Lions’ first major tournament final for 55 years.
But the scheduling of the game for a Sunday evening has led to calls for Monday to be declared a bank holiday should England come out top, giving supporters a bonus day off to recover from their celebrations.
Goal brings you everything you need to know about a possible extra bank holiday should England go on and win the trophy.
Will there be a bank holiday if England win Euro 2020?
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not rule out the possibility of calling a bank holiday in the event of an England victory.
Johnson was present at Wembley on Wednesday, where Harry Kane’s extra-time penalty secured a nail-biting 2-1 win against Denmark and sent Gareth Southgate’s side through to the final.
Asked the next day about the possibility of calling a Bank Holiday, Johnson said: “I think that would be tempting fate; let’s see what happens.”
Johnson's official spokesperson later added: “I don’t want to pre-empt the outcome of Sunday’s match. Clearly we want England to go all the way and win the final, and then we will set out our plans in due course.”
When would the Euro 2020 Bank Holiday be?
There were initial calls for the Euro 2020 Bank Holiday to take place the day after the final, which is Monday July 12.
However, it is argued that this is too short notice for businesses to prepare for their workers not to be in.
The game is scheduled to finish shortly before 10pm BST but could end later if extra-time or penalties are required.
Instead, fresh reports suggest a bank holiday could be scheduled in August instead. The most likely day would be Friday, August 27. This would coincide with the existing bank holiday on Monday August 30 and thereby giving workers a four-day weekend.
Is there a petition for a bank holiday if England win Euro 2020?
A petition to declare Monday a bank boliday if England win Euro 2020 was launched on Thursday, the day after the Denmark game.
Within hours it had been signed by more than 100,000 people, meaning it will be considered for debate in parliament.
At time of writing, it has gained more than 350,000 signatures.
The creator of the petition, Lee Jones, wrote: "Sunday 8pm is a difficult time for families to plan to be together for the event - knowing we have an additional day off the next day would significantly help this.
“Furthermore, a historic win should be celebrated. It would be expected for the winning team to parade the trophy, and a bank holiday would be a perfect time to do this.
"Also, English people would naturally want to continue to enjoy the win, giving the retail and leisure industry a much-needed opportunity to make up lost revenues.”
Was a Bank Holiday declared after World Cup 1966?
A Bank Holiday was not declared after England’s victory over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final.
The game took place on Saturday July 30 at Wembley, meaning workers had Sunday to rest after the celebrations.
The game remains England’s only appearance in a major tournament final – until their game against Italy on Sunday.
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