Despite a heartbreaking defeat and exit from the World Cup in Russia on Monday, the Japan national team and its supporters have again won plaudits on social media not only for their fair play and sportsmanship, but also for thoroughly cleaning up the stadium, bench and dressing room.
The team lost in the final seconds of its last-16 match against Belgium by a score of 3-2, after taking a 2-0 lead early in the second half. But even while grappling with the devastating defeat, both the fans and players continued a tradition they have maintained throughout this World Cup — cleaning up their section of the stadium, some with tears still in their eyes.
FIFA General Director Priscilla Janssens tweeted a picture Tuesday of Japan's spotless dressing room, praising the team and its fans for their tidy-up efforts and manners and also writing that the team had even left a thank-you note in Russian for the hosts.
"What an example for all teams!! Privilege to work with!" she wrote in a tweet that was shared more than 45,000 times and liked nearly 80,000 times as of Tuesday afternoon.
日本人の良いところ
by Priscilla Janssens pic.twitter.com/L5nvM39XUa
— tomoki (@tomoki_yasssn) July 3, 2018
But Janssens was not the only one praising the Japanese team.
"Japanese are some of the best people you will ever meet, so respecting and so humble," one Twitter user wrote. "Them cleaning up the stadium is also a great gesture."
Japanese fans also expressed a sense of pride, thanking the team and supporters for their dignity in defeat.
"I'm proud of the Japanese side's good manners, regardless of the outcome of the game," one user wrote. "And although I'm a soccer fan once every four years, I still want to thank the Japanese side for allowing us to dream."
ベルギー戦後、日本代表がロッカールームを綺麗に掃除し、ロシア語で「ありがとう」とメッセージを残したことが話題になってるらしい。
こういう日本人のマナー意識の高さや美徳は、試合の結果に関わらず誇れる部分だと思った。
四年に一度のサッカーファンだが、夢を見せてくれてありがとう日本代表。
— カイト (@hatake_0710) July 3, 2018
Japan supporters were also applauded for helping to clean up the stadium after earlier games in the tournament — a practice that Western media outlets gushed over. The scene was similar to the last World Cup in 2014, when Japanese supporters stuck around after the national team's matches to clean up their own garbage.
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