Inspired by Japanese fans at the World Cup, Cluj football fans collected 400 kgs of waste from Cluj Arena

Dozens of young supporters of Universitatea Cluj football club gathered at their home base Cluj Arena for a waste cleaning campaign. Inspired by Japanese fans’ tradition of cleaning the stadium after a game at the ongoing World Cup, the Romanian fans collected at least 400 kilograms of waste (approximately 1,200 liters).

The initiative started after Universitatea Cluj’s game with UTA Arad in the latest match week of SuperLiga Romania, which ended in a 0-0 draw as both teams were fighting to climb out of the relegation zone.

Rocsana Contraș, one of the initiators, is no stranger to this type of initiative. As the head of “Arii Protejate Cheile Turzii - Cheile Turenilor” (Protected Areas in Cheile Turzii - Cheile Turenilor), she often organizes cleaning actions back home.

“1,200 liters of waste collected from the stands after the U Cluj-UTA Arad match. Those present also gave us a helping hand and we received congratulations. Following the Japanese model from the World Cup matches, we demonstrated that it is also possible at Cluj!,” she said on Facebook.

Since the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Japanese fans have been voluntarily cleaning the stadium after their heroes played. They became the first Asian side to defeat a South American team at the World Cup when they won 1-2 against Colombia back then but also impressed the world by leaving Mordovia Arena in Saransk, Russia, spotless.

The tradition continued four years later in Qatar. Despite losing on penalties against Croatia in the Round of 16, supporters stayed a little longer at Al Janoub Stadium after their defeat to pick up leftover rubbish.

(Photo source: Rocsana Contraș/Facebook)