YEKATERINBURG, June 25 (Sputnik) - The mayor's office of the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, which hosted Sunday's FIFA World Cup match between Japan and Senegal, praised the Japanese supporters who stayed after the game to pick up the garbage in the stands.
The match took place at the Yekaterinburg Arena and ended in a hard-earned 2-2 draw for Japan, who had to fight back twice.
"The Japanese took their time after the final whistle and instead of heading for the exit they armed themselves with large plastic bags and started to clean up the space where they had sat... The Japanese fans' behavior is exemplary," the mayor's office said in a statement.
According to the statement, the fans picked up the garbage left by other supporters as well as their own.
"People in our country believe that you have to clean up after yourself. We are playing football here but we are also representing Japan and we must do it with dignity," a Japanese fan was quoted as saying by the mayor's office.
The Yekaterinburg arena has already hosted three group-stage games and is set to hold another one on Wednesday between Mexico and Sweden.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14 and will continue until July 15, with the matches being played in 11 cities across Russia.
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