Japanese supporters stepped up to help tidy up the #worldcup - CTB NEWS

Japanese supporters stepped up to help tidy up the World Cup venue at their own expense.

Japan's fans won the hearts of soccer fans around the world when they stayed behind after a game to clean up the stadium.

Although only two games have been played so far, anybody who has been paying attention to the action in Qatar knows that Japan has yet to enter.

Many Japanese spectators attended yesterday's opening match between the host nation of Qatar and the visiting squad of Ecuador. The opening game of the tournament for Japan isn't until Sunday, when they face Costa Rica (Sunday 20 November).

After the 2-0 win for the away team, the Japanese fans stayed to make sure the stadium was clean.

Omar Farooq, a social media influencer, was on hand to document the cleanup effort, and his clip shows spectators in Japanese football shirts, flags, and costumes filling bags with trash left behind by their fellow fans.

To paraphrase what Omar said: "Do tell me this is the norm, please. I appreciate it. After much deliberation, the Japanese faithful decided to tidy up the arena. Definitely not on par with them!

Why are you cleaning something that has nothing to do with you? I queried." and they assured me, "We Japanese don't litter." This is a place that holds a lot of value for us.

"Even though I've heard of this phenomenon, I never gave any thought to the possibility that it actually exists. Wow. With due regard."

This orderliness is typical of Japanese culture as a whole.

Reporter for the BBC based in Japan who covers football, Scott McIntyre, said in 2018 that "it's not just part of the football culture but also part of the culture of Japan."

"It's often said that the sport of football reflects society in miniature. Maintaining a pristine environment is highly valued in Japanese society; this expectation extends to all competitive sports, including, unquestionably, football."

Japanese football fans have a long-standing custom of helping to clean up after themselves at venues that host foreign matches.

After losing heartbreakingly in the last seconds of their World Cup round of 16 match against Belgium in 2018, they earned the respect of millions of people when they cleaned up the Rostov Arena. Russia was the site of the match.

A year later, after their 2-1 Group D victory over Scotland at the Women's World Cup, they showed how nice they are by cleaning up Roazhon Park. After the match, play moved to that location.

There will undoubtedly be a significant number of England fans armed with trash bags and litter pickers, ready to clear the mess that has been produced in the stands after the match between Croatia and Canada, or something like that.

Or, if they get found drinking and smoking in public, they could be arrested and made to cram lit cigarettes up their posteriors. So, I guess we just have to sit tight and see what develops.