'Japan fans doing what they do.'
Key Points
- Japan's fans stayed behind after their match against The Netherlands to clean up their section of the Dallas Stadium.
- Their gesture went viral on social media, earning praise from football fans and observers worldwide.
- Japan's fans have made it a tradition to clean up stadiums at major international sporting events.
Japan's fans once again captured the world's admiration after clearing thrash from the stands following their Group F match against The Netherlands on Sunday.
Following their team's entertaining 2-2 draw against the Dutch, Japan's fans stayed behind to collect rubbish and clean up their section of the stadium before leaving. Their gesture instantly went viral, earning praise from football fans around the world.
The same blue bags, which the fans used to cheer for their team, were then repurposed as bin bags to clean up the AT&T stadium -- home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.
'Japan fans doing what they do. Following their incredible 2-2 draw with Netherlands, @jfa_samuraiblue supporters once again demonstrated their impeccable manners, tidying the stands before departing Dallas Stadium,' FIFA posted on X.
'We don't want to make a mess and then leave it'
'That's the culture. But it's like respect for everything. Respect for the players, supporters and also for the stadium. We are honoured to be here, so we don't want to make a mess and then leave it. So I think that's the reason why we are doing it,' one Japan spectator told FIFA.
The practice is not new for Japan's fans, who have made it a tradition to clean up stadiums at major international sporting events, including the Olympic Games and World Cups.
The Samurai Blue's fans first gained worldwide appreciation after they cleaned the stands during the team's first World Cup appearance in France in 1998. Since then, they have done it at every football World Cup, setting an example for the other fans around the world.
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