On Wednesday, Japan sealed a historic first-ever win against Germany in a 2022 World Cup group stage match in Qatar, prompting widespread celebrations. However, the Japanese team, known for being the classiest players in the world, won the hearts of social media users again with their incredible gesture. Instead of revelling in the victory, they cleaned their locker room and left it spotless after beating Germany.
Sharing a picture of the locker room, FIFA wrote, "After a historic victory against Germany at the #FIFAWorldCup on Match Day 4, Japan fans cleaned up their rubbish in the stadium, whilst the @jfa_samuraiblue left their changing room at Khalifa International Stadium like this. Spotless.''
See the tweet here:
The picture shows towels, water bottles, and left food containers arranged neatly on the counter in the centre of the room. Not only that, the Japanese team even left a note that said "thank you" in Japanese and Arabic - with some folded paper cranes for good measure.
Meanwhile, Japanese fans, who are known for their post-match clean-up service, continued their little ritual. After the 2-1 win, Japan fans remained in the stands at Khalifa International Stadium, not to celebrate the outcome, but to clean the garbage. As soon as the stadium started to empty, Japanese supporters could be seen taking out light blue disposable rubbish bags. They could be seen walking around the stadium, bending down to pick up used cups, bottles, food wrappers and even discarded German flags.
See the pictures and videos here:
Social media users were left impressed with the gesture and were in awe of the Japanese values and culture. One user wrote, "It's not just the fans, the players after a gruelling match and the adrenaline rush of one of their greatest wins ever... found the energy and calm to clean up their dressing room. Spot the origami they've left behind too. Just so much admiration for their commitment to cleanliness.'' Another wrote, "When it comes to "manner and work ethic" no country can beat Japan...''
When asked by another fan on social media why this had become a Japanese fans' custom, one replied: "We are Japanese, and we do not leave rubbish behind us, and we respect the place."
A similar thing was witnessed after the inaugural game of the World Cup between hosts Qatar and Ecuador on Sunday (November 20).
Coming back to the match, Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano from Japan struck the last blow in the last 15 minutes, giving Japan a stunning 2-1 win over four-time champions Germany in the World Cup Group E opener on Wednesday.
