(Photo by Alan Pedro/Getty Images)
In the wake of the tragic plane crash involving Brazilian club Chapecoense, the soccer community around the globe has begun to band together to pick up the pieces.
First, the Colombian club Atletico Nacional, who Chapecoense was scheduled to play on Wednesday, called on football authorities Tuesday to hand the Copa Sudamericana title to Chapecoense as a tribute to the team’s players killed in a plane crash.
Via Sport 360:
(Atletico Nacional) asked of CONMEBOL “that the Copa Sudamericana title be handed to Chapecoense Football Association as an honorary trophy for its great loss, and as a posthumous homage to the victims of the fatal accident that has put our sport in mourning.”
Chapecoense and Atletico Nacional were supposed to have faced off Wednesday in the first-leg of the final of the Copa Sudamericana, the second most prestigious club football tournament in South America after the Copa Libertadores.
CONMEBOL said in a statement earlier that the match was suspended until further notice.
“We are in contact with the authorities and are waiting for official reports.”
A source close to CONMEBOL told AFP it was “very unlikely” that the final would ever be played.
Similarly, Corinthians, one of the clubs in Brazil’s top flight, requested that the country’s football authorities allow Chapecoense to remain in the top-tier of Brazilian football without fear of relegation for three years. It is being reported that all Serie A clubs are agreeing to the request. Furthermore, the teams also agreed that they would send players to Chapecoense on-loan for free during that period.
Finally, from halfway across the world, French giants Paris Saint-Germain have informed UEFA that they will donate €40 million (about $50 million) to Chapecoense.
It is going to be a long, difficult road for the friends, families, and fans of Chapecoense to recover, but receiving support from all around the world is a decent start.
