Egyptian fans impress by simulating Japan’s post-match cleaning spree

24 / 06 / 2019

By Marwa Nassar - -

Egyptian fans impressed the world by imitating the civilized attitude of Japanese fans who were the first to spearhead an initiative to clean the stadium after a World Cup match in 2018.

After the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) opening game, a group of youths volunteered to clean up the stands of Cairo International Stadium where food waste, cups and wrappers were scattered in the heat of the moment.

Equipped with large rubbish bags they brought along, the youths marched through the rows picking up rubbish, to leave the place just as neat as they had found it.

Ahmed Nageh, who launched the initiative, said in a TV interview that he did not coordinate with any official authority with regard to the initiative, he, however, decided to imitate the civilized attitude of the Japanese fans.

The political leadership feted the initiative which figured high in social media.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi wrote on his Facebook page ” I am proud of the youths who launched the initiative for presenting an honorable image of Egypt.”

On Twitter, the president wired a video of the cleaning spree following the match in which Egypt beat Zimbabwe 1-0.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports hailed the initiative and adopted it in a bide to encourage Egyptian fans to act in this civilized way in all Egyptian stadiums.

The initiative reflects a positive image about Egypt and contributes to promoting sustainable development efforts in Egypt in the coming period.