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Japanese fans stun Qatar crowd by CLEANING UP stadium after World Cup opening match, telling bemused local supporter: ‘We do not leave rubbish behind us. We show respect’
- Fans stayed behind after Qatar vs Ecuador on Sunday to clean up the stadium
- They went row to row collecting bottles and food wrappers left behind by fans
- Japan won plaudits in 2018 for cleaning up the stands in Russia after matches
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Japan fans have stunned Qatar by clearing up a World Cup stadium in a game their country wasn’t even involved in.
At the tournament’s opening fixture between the host nation and Ecuador, fans dressed in their national colours stayed behind to pick up bottles and food wrapping left in the stands.
The country has gained a reputation for similar goodwill at previous international tournaments and their admirable behaviour is already winning plaudits in the Middle East.
Japan fans have stunned Qatar by clearing up a World Cup stadium in a game their country wasn’t even involved in
Fans dressed in their national colours stayed behind to pick up bottles and food wrapping left in the stands
Footage shows them going row by row picking up the rubbish and placing it into plastic bags.
The video was taken by influencer Omar Al-Farooq from Bahrain who shared it on Instagram.
In it, he is heard asking: ‘Why are you doing this?’
A Japanese fan replies: ‘We are Japanese, and we do not leave rubbish behind us, and we respect the place.’
The supporters also picked up flags which had been thrown by the Qatari and Ecuadorian fans, saying the symbols ‘command respect’.
The video was taken by influencer Omar Al-Farooq from Bahrain who shared it on Instagram
Footage shows them going row by row picking up the rubbish and placing it into plastic bags
The country has gained a reputation for similar goodwill at previous international tournaments
The supporters also picked up flags which had been thrown by the Qatari and Ecuadorian fans, saying the symbols ‘command respect’
At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Japan fans garnered similar affection for their neighbourly behaviour.
Even after suffering a heartbreaking last-gasp winner in a 3-2 knockout loss to Belgium, the ‘Samurai Blue’ supporters sifted through the aisles of the Rostov Arena to pick up discarded litter.
Supporters were seen crying as they hauled enormous rubbish bags around the stadium.
Pictures from the stadium show fans in fancy dress and their national team’s kit picking up rubbish after most of the other fans had cleared out.