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Chapecoense's fairytale run ends in tragedy

Chapecoense fans during a match. (Image: Retirado do Orkut CC BY-SA 3.0)
Roar Rookie
1st December, 2016
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On the 28th of November 2016, footballing nation Brazil experienced one of the worst tragic disasters as their Brazil Serie A team Associação Chapecoense de Futebol were involved in a plane crash that killed 71 people in Medellín, Colombia.

Out of the 22-man squad, only three players survived the accident which were Alan Luciano Ruschel, Helio Hermito Zampier, and goalkeeper Jackson Ragnar Follmann. Chapecoense was going to Colombia to play in the first leg of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana final against Colombian team Atlético Nacional.

The Copa Sudamericana is about the same level as the UEFA Europa League and for a side that was promoted to Brazil’s first division in 2014 it has truly been a remarkable journey that should have ended in celebrations, not a tragedy.

This Brazilian side was having a fairytale season by making history when they won in the semifinal of the Copa Sudamericana against top Argentine team San Lorenzo. This grand final game was the club’s biggest match yet in their entire existence and it’s very unfortunate that they didn’t get the opportunity to be a part of it.

However, a heartfelt gesture by the opposition Atlético Nacional has now awarded the Copa Sudamericana trophy to Chapecoense as a tribute. At the end of the day, that is the respect the game of football contains.

This sporting disaster gives football fans flashbacks of the 1958 Munich disaster that contained Manchester United players and the 1949 Superga air disaster that had the Grande Torino on board.

Unlucky for Chapecoense as it could have been a different story if the first leg of the final would have been played in Brazil instead of Colombia. It just happened all at the wrong moment.

This plane that crashed also carried the national team of Argentina during the international break when they were going to Brazil in order to play a South American World Cup Qualifier. Bad timing is what this frustration can be explained for.

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For now, French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain have donated €40 million to the stricken Chapecoense side in order to rebuild. Brazilian clubs have also offered to loan free players to the squad in order to compete in future matches. This shows that the club is not on their own and help will be offered at every angle as that is what football is all about.

Chapecoense fans will be distraught and in shock but the players that said goodbye to their Brazilian friends and families for the final time would want the fans and club to get together and start rebuilding a super force club for the future. “Forca Chape” is the touching words that the deceased players and staff would want to hear throughout the club as a tribute to their sporting heroes.

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