Japan and Senegal fans would have certainly been happy after their teams notched wins against Colombia and Poland on Tuesday. However, the fans stayed back after the matches and picked up the trash thrown in the stands at the Mordovia Arena, Saransk and Spartak Stadium, Moscow respectively.
The Japanese fans had already planned to clean up the stadium beforehand as they carried rubbish bags to the stadium.
It’s not just part of the football culture but part of Japanese culture. You often hear people say that football is a reflection of culture. An important aspect of Japanese society is making sure that everything is absolutely clean and that’s the case in all sporting events and certainly also in football.Scott McIntyre, Japan-based football journalist told BBC
The Senegal fans were inspired by the Japanese to clean up the stands after the 2-1 victory against Poland.
In the match against Colombia, Japan did what no other Asian team had ever done at a World Cup – beat a South American squad on the biggest stage in football. The 2-1 victory over Colombia on Tuesday was another surprising result in an unpredictable tournament.
Senegal, on the other hand, became the first African team to win a match at the 2018 World Cup on Tuesday when they beat Poland, helped by an own goal from a Brazilian-born Polish defender and a nightmare moment for goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
(With inputs from Reuters and AP)
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