Japan fans use blue bags to uphold a cleansing World Cup tradition after draw

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Those blue bags Japan fans waved in a frenzy after their team got a late tying goal were then used after the final whistle to maintain what has become a cleansing World Cup tradition.

The Samurai Blue fans cleaned up before they left the stadium Sunday, picking up trash from the stands after Japan’s 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in Group F.

Only a few minutes earlier, those then-empty blue bags were prominent in the celebration when Daichi Kamada scored on a header off Koki Ogawa’s corner kick in the 88th minute.

Along with the constant chants for their team, those bags the fans bring to the stadium are often raised in unison. The scene becomes frantic after goals, such as Keito Nakamura’s earlier in the second half to tie the game at 1-all and Kamada’s shot that ultimately secured a point for Japan.

Scenes of Japanese soccer fans picking up and sweeping trash first drew public attention during the team’s first World Cup appearance in France in 1998. They have done it every four years since, including in Qatar in 2022.

Now they have left their mark and no trash at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, where workers usually have a lot more cleanup duty after games.