December 6 – Chapecoense have officially been awarded the Copa Sudamericana by CONMEBOL after most of their team died in the fatal plane crash en route to the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final in Colombia.
Seventy-one people, including 19 players and staff, were killed in last Monday’s crash which occurred on the way to play Colombian opponents Atletico Nacional, who asked for Chapecoense to be awarded the trophy and have in turn been given a Fair Play award to acknowledge their “spirit of peace, understanding and fair play”.
Chapecoense will be given the $2 million in prize money while Atletico Nacional will receive $1million.
Chapecoense vice-president Ivan Tozzo hailed the decision as “justice”, telling a news conference: “We were sure that ‘Chape’ would be champions. It is a beautiful tribute.”
Three Chapecoense players were among six people to survive the crash. Investigations are continuing into the cause but a recording suggests the plane was out of fuel moments before the crash outside Medellin.
The small Brazilian city of Chapeco held a massive funeral on Saturday after the victims’ coffins arrived home, each draped in the club’s green and white flag while teams from around the world paid tribute to those who perished and a minute’s silence is scheduled to be held before every Champions League and Europa League game this week.
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