Myanmar fans clear up trash left behind at National Stadium

They went to the National Stadium on Wednesday to support their national team against Singapore in the AFF Suzuki Cup.

Myanmar lost 4-2 to the Lions and the fans were disappointed.

Despite that, as the game wound down and the final whistle was blown, trash bags brought by the Myanmar fans were passed around the contingent, and they were seen clearing rubbish from the stands where they were seated.

It wasn't the first time these fans have cleaned up after themselves - they also did so during Myanmar's previous game against Malaysia at the Jalan Besar Stadium, which ended in a goalless draw.

The Myanmar team may sit at the bottom of Group B, behind Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia but their fans' acts of consideration and civic-mindedness have drawn praise from netizens on social media, like Facebook.

Netizens applauded them for their actions and some even lambasted fans of other countries - especially Singapore - for not doing the same.

REASON

Myanmar supporter Win Aung, 54, who works here as a technical officer, was at the game with his family on Wednesday.

He told The New Paper that the Myanmar fans cleared the rubbish for the simple reason of wanting to keep the premises clean.

"We don't wish to dirty the area so we try to help out as much as we can," he said.

He added that the trash bags were voluntarily brought in by different groups of Myanmar fans before the game started.

This is not the first time that fans at the new National Stadium have helped to clear their own rubbish.

Japan fans at last month's international friendly between Brazil and their team also helped in cleaning up the stadium.

Singaporean and Lions supporter Deepanraj Ganesan, 20, a student who was also at the game on Wednesday, was quick to commend the attitude of the Myanmar fans.

"I was impressed by how feverishly they supported their country, even when they were trailing by three goals, and I think it's amazing how their great attitude persisted even after the game," he said.

"This just goes to show that they know they are less entitled than some of their Singaporean counterparts, and we can definitely learn from them."

This article was first published on 28 November, 2014.
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