World Cup Exceptions to the Teutonic Rules

An event that comes around only once every four years, Germany is pulling out all the stops to make sure as many people as possible experience the World Cup on home soil to the fullest.

Take the example of a Munich politician concerned about school kids' sleeping habits.

Worried that students' mathematical ability will be limited to tallying goals after a late night of watching Germany play Italy in the World Cup semi-finals, Munich Social Democrat Franz Maget wanted students get some extra sleep after the game and before trudging off to school.

Maget suggested starting the state's schools 30 minutes later to cut down on eye rubbing after Tuesday night's 9:00 p.m. kick-off.

"School children also want to see the game," he said, adding that a penalty shoot-out, such as the one Germany needed to beat Argentina, could keep kids up long past their bedtime.

Soccer mania surpasses car craze

Some German car companies have also come to terms with the fact that, even in a country as automobile crazy as Germany, repair rates for cars made after Tuesday's 9:00 p.m. kick-off could skyrocket as employees' ability to concentrate on the job plummets when die Mannschaft take on the Azzurri in Dortmund.

DaimlerChrysler decided to cut one shift from the production schedule in Sindelfingen so some 10,000 workers can watch the game. Porsche and BMW are also fiddling with their shifts times to allow staff to clock out in time to catch the game.

Many Deutsche Bahn employees, however, will be stuck listening to the radio as the rail company puts about 100 more trains on the tracks to help soccer fans get where they are going, and Dortmund Airport has registered 107 extra flights with more than 1,500 passengers, many of which are coming from Italy, according to airport and border control officials.

"Everything we have that has wheels on it will be rolling on July 4," said Hubert Jung, head of Dortmund's local transportation authority.

A breath of sweaty, beery arena air

Even with the extra transportation, not everyone is going to make it to the city, but a Bochum-based company wants to make sure soccer fans still get a whiff of the action.

Stadionluft has filled 25,000 cans with "original stadium air" from the Dortmund grounds and put them on sale for 4.95 euros ($6.34) per can for the people who are stuck without a ticket but still want to experience the scent that can comes from a fresh pitch mixed with beer and sausages.

Regardless of where people watch, the German Red Cross has three tips for fans watching the games outside: Put on sunscreen; choose sturdy footwear over flip flops; and drink lots of water instead of alcohol.

At least two out of three shouldn't prove too difficult.