Other than the footballing action on the field, there are many aspects to the World Cup that have made a lasting impression, one among them are images of fans taking time out after the game to clean up the stands.
Fans from Senegal and Japan earned from on Tuesday after video clips emerged showing several people selflessly staying back after the conclusion of the match to clear their stands of trash thrown around in the heat of the game.
Both sets of fans had reason to be ecstatic enough to not worry about such issues. Japan had just beaten Colombia 2-1, their first win ever over a South American outfit. Senegal fans too would have been in high spirits after the side downed Poland by a similar margin.
But, in a heartening gesture several members of the two respective fan-groups showed immense courteousness to clean up their rows and seats. The Japanese fans, in fact, came in prepared with rubbish bags and went about their ‘clean-up act’ meticulously.
It is a common sight in stadiums across Japan to see fans clean up after a game. It is a practice seeped into tradition.
“It’s not just part of the football culture but part of Japanese culture,” Japan-based football journalist Scott McIntyre was quoted as saying by BBC.
“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.”