Japanese fans praised after 'classy' act at FIFA World Cup

Japanese fans in Qatar have been praised for their efforts in staying behind to help clean the stadium at the FIFA World Cup.

The opening match between Qatar and Ecuador ended in drama after fans exited the stadium before the final whistle as the South American outfit handed the host's a 2-0 loss.

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While plenty of criticism has been levelled at Qatar and the less than capacity stadiums during the opening two days, Japanese fans have given many something to applaud.

After Ecuador's win, Japanese fans - dressed in their nation's colours - were filmed cleaning up as people exited the stadium.

Qatari influencer Omar Al-Farooq posted the video and appeared stunned at the gesture. "Someone convince me that this is normal," Farooq said on his video.

He approached the fans and asked why they were being so generous after a game in which there team wasn't even playing.

"We are Japanese and we do not leave rubbish behind us and we respect the place," one fan said.

The influencer also showed Japanese fans picking up the flags of Ecuador and Qatar after one of them claimed the symbols deserve respect.

While plenty has been said about the crowds in Qatar after four games, the Japanese fans received nothing but praise.

This is not the first time Japanese fans have made an impact at the FIFA World Cup.

In 2018, videos of Japanese fans cleaning the stadium after their loss to Belgium swept the internet.

Crowd numbers spark Qatar controversy

While the Japanese fans have given football fans something to cheer about, it hasn't all been smooth sailing.

On the second day in Qatar, England kicked off their group stage opener against Iran with thousands of fans waiting outside due to a ticket disaster.

England defeated Iran 6-2 at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, but many on social media pointed out that huge queues formed outside with Three Lions fans desperate to get inside.

A BBC correspondent reported that some fans had waited two hours in the line to enter the stadium.

In the following game, there were empty seats around the stadium for the blockbuster clash between Netherlands and Senegal.

Qatar released the official attendance and 41,721. What made this stat more remarkable is the stadium capacity is 40,000.

This was in clear contrast to images showing plenty of spare seats throughout the match.

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