Japanese, Senegalese fans clean stadiums after World Cup games

Japanese and Senegalese fans are being hailed for their civic-mindedness after they cleaned the stadiums after their teams played in the World Cup in Russia.

For its first game in the competition, Japan beat Colombia 2-1. Afterwards, instead of going straight out to celebrate, some Japanese fans cleaned the stadium’s seats and rows, as these photos show.

These excellent manners did not surprise sports journalist Scott McIntyre, who is based in Japan and is currently in Russia following the Japanese team. He told the BBC: "It’s not just part of the football culture but part of Japanese culture."

Japan is indeed known for the cleanliness of its streets, where citizens rarely litter.

Senegal, too

Senegalese supporters also cleaned up after their country’s game against Poland, which they also won 2-1. They did their cleaning in a festive mood, as a fan told FRANCE 24:

Poland had lots more fans present in the stadium than Senegal, so we tried to make ourselves heard by blasting music and spreading a good mood. The people you can see cleaning up after the game are the “Lions” team’s official fans, called the 12e Gaïndé. They follow the players everywhere, and they’re always very festive and respectful!