Britain’s growing army of migrant workers is predicted to cause World Cup chaos in the workplace.

Bosses are already bracing themselves for the expected slump in productivity caused by England fans claiming bogus sick days or inventing non-existent meetings.

But businesses which employ migrant workers from the other 31 countries taking part in the World Cup say the four-week feast of football could wreak havoc in the workplace.

Among the countries taking part in the tournament are Spain, Italy, Greece, Nigeria, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, all with strong contingents living and working in the UK.

Peter Mooney, Head of Consultancy at leading employment law firm Employment Law Advisory Services, said: “Bosses dread the World Cup coming round every four years. More than any other single sporting event, this is the one which wreaks the most havoc in the workplace.

“While many England fans are notorious for either not turning up for work or inventing non-existent meetings, bosses now have the additional headache of British-based workers from the other 31 countries taking part swinging the lead.

“Most companies quite rightly take the view that business must come first, particularly in the current economic climate, which means that someone hell bent on watching as many matches as possible will have to find a reason for not being at work.

“Some bosses will do a deal with their employees allowing them to leave a little bit earlier, but only if they are willing to start work a little bit earlier on another day.”

Mr Mooney said he expects employees to use the full range of excuses for not turning up at the office or failing to return after lunch. Favourite excuses include doctor or dentist appointments, lunch appointments running late and, in more extreme cases, reports that pet cats and dogs have died.

Absenteeism is said to cost British industry more than £13billion annually.

Mr Mooney added: “Staff might not think that an unauthorised couple of hours in the pub watching a World Cup match is going to harm their company, but when you add up the cost to British business of tens of thousands of workers behaving in this way it suddenly looks a whole lot more serious.”