OdishaLIVE Bureau
After their heartbreaking defeat to Belgium the Japanese players cleaned the entire locker room themselves as a token of appreciation for the hosts, Russia.
Generally, after one has lost and is distraught, he or she lashes out and takes out his frustration and Japan rightly deserved to take out their frustration after losing despite putting in an amazing performance. But, instead they did not forget their values and showed a touch of class.
After their heartbreaking defeat to Belgium the Japanese players cleaned the entire locker room themselves as a token of appreciation for the hosts, Russia. They put in a note on the locker room table which stated ‘Spasibo’ which is a Russian word and translates to ‘Thank You’. This gesture was not only restricted to their players, but even their fans who cleaned the stands themselves.
This gesture was carried out earlier in the tournament by the Senegal fans when they cleaned the stands after their victory against Poland in the group stages.
Japan have played brilliantly throughout this tournament with their fast, one touch and counter attacking play. But, they were knocked out in the Round of 16 by a talented Belgium side who refused to give up even after going 2-0, down. As much as their team is getting appreciation on the pitch, they are getting quite a lot of appreciation for their gestures off the field.
While this World Cup has seen fans getting out of control and showing Nazi signs, Japan showed the true nature of sportsmanship and received appreciation and love from around the world.
Japan truly wins the Sportsman spirit award for FIFA 2018 held in Russia.
(Story: Raunaq Dash, Edit: Sriram Singh Rattan)
