Brussels police and mayor thank Wales fans for picking up rubbish before Nations League game.
Wales football fans who partied in Brussels before an international and cleaned up the streets afterwards have been called an “example to follow”.
About 2,500 Wales fans travelled to the King Baudouin Stadium on Thursday for a 2-1 Nations League loss to Belgium.
Hundreds descended on the city centre, with some staying on to fill bin bags with discarded cans and bottles.
They were applauded by Brussels police and received a “hats off” message from the city’s mayor.
Image source, EatSleep Media / David Williams
A post from the official Brussels Police Twitter account said: “It is not uncommon to run into fans before the start of a Red Devils [Belgium] football match in the centre of Brussels.
“We would like to thank the fans of the opposing team for leaving the place as they found it: ‘clean’.”
Philippe Close, the mayor of Brussels, also thanked fans.
He wrote on Twitter: “Hats off to the supporters of the Wales team who, after partying in the city centre, picked up their rubbish. An example to follow!”
Chapeau aux supporters de l’équipe du Pays de Galles qui après avoir fait la fête dans le centre-ville ramassent leurs détritus. Un exemple à suivre! #BELWAL pic.twitter.com/WzDNrG2dC8
After seeing the clean-up, Paul Corkrey of the Football Supporters Association Cymru, said: “It was a fantastic thing to do, because the square was very, very busy, obviously, and it was full of bottles and cans, and it was getting dangerous.
“So our fans decided to clean up the square, because the Belgians didn’t have a chance to do it.
‘Doing us all proud again’
“We got a great couple of days, anyway, even though we lost the match. But the actual city welcomed us, and it was a thing to repay them back for the hospitality, and it’s great for Welsh fans as well.
“It enhances our reputation, and I think it’s a great thing to do.
“It made me proud to be Welsh. I’ve seen about 15 or 20 people and more were joining all the time, but basically they seem to have got bags from somebody.”
First Minister Mark Drakeford joined the applause, tweeting: “#TheRedWall doing us all proud once again”.
Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney sent his thanks to the Brussels mayor in his own post on Twitter, writing “we have the best fans in the world”.
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