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| Memorial to the plane crash |
On a recent trip to Brazil, I ended up in the city of Chapeco in the Southern part of Brazil. Not really a city on the main tourist routes in Brazil, but I was there for work.
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| The names of all who died in the plane crash |
There is a very sad story about the Football team from the city of Chapeco in 2016. The story starts out as a great story with much joy and excitement, but ends in a devastating tragedy for this small city. The local Football team (and we are in Brazil after all where football is so much more than just a sport!) team was to plan in the final of the South American club championship. They stood a good chance of being crowned the best club football team in South America. What an achievement! The club was only promoted to the top division in Brazilian Football in 2014. This in itself was an achievement for the small, low budget club club with none of the highly paid stars of Brazilian Football. Yet they made it to the final of the Copa Sudamericana, the South American equivalent of the Europa League. The first leg of the final was an away game against the side from Medellin in Colombia against Atletico Nacional. On the final approach to the airport in Medellin, the plane carrying the team crashed as it had run out of fuel!What a terrible disaster! Most of the players on the plane died. In fact a total of 71 people died on the plane. As this was a charter flight, all of the people on the flight were associated with the Chapecoense Football team. People on board included the players, team management, radio commentators and other people closely associated with the club.
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| Local fan and me before the match |
Seven people survived the crash. Three of these were players and another was one of the journalists and radio commentators. The rest of the team were killed in the crash.
In an amazing juster of sportsmanship, Atletico Nacional forfeited the games and the deviated Chapecoense were crowned champions of South America. A very small consolation of the loss of just about the entire team!
A very moving monument to the plane crash now stands at the home group of Chapecoense. Needless to say, this club was devastated by this disaster. The obvious and very sad loss of so much human life is, in itself a disaster. However, the show must go on. This is a football club in the top flight of Brazilian football and they had to very quickly build a new team. Two years after the loss of just about the entire team, they are still hanging on to their spot in the top flight of Brazilian Football, against all the odds.
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| The away team stand - all in red |
On the evening that I was in Chapeco, there was a match between the home team and the high flying glamour team of International. Chapecoense are trying desperately to cling onto their spot in Series A of Brazilian Football. International are fighting to win the league. A real David and Goliath story. The people I was with are serious football fans and they had season tickets for the stadium. So off to watch a Brazilian Series A football match I went. The news only ever reports on bad things and we hear all sorts of stories about the high levels of violence at Brazilian Football matches. You hear the stories of fan buses running the gauntlet to get fans to the matches. So it was with a bit of trepidation that I went to the match.
The whole experience was just brilliant! The away team were filling up one of the stands of the stadium. The rest of the stadium was filled with supports in green - the colour of Chapecoense. International were so over-confident that their starting line up did not even include their main highly paid players. They were on the bench.
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| They have a penalty |
As the game progressed, it was obvious that Chapecoense were playing with much passion. After International went one up after being awarded a penalty, their fans were making a lot of noise. Chapecoense equalised with a brilliant field goal. As the match was now well into the second half, and it was looking like International would loss two points, they brought on their big stars. They the excitement started to climb. Chapecoense were awarded a penalty! After much drama around the penalty spot, and one of the International players trying to disrupt the penalty taker (which earned him a red card and his matching orders) the kick was taken and Chapecoense were in the lead. In the last minute of the game, International were awarded a penalty - now the third of the game. Their fans went crazy. The kick was taken and the Chapecoense goalkeeper pulled off a brilliant save. If I though the International fans went crazy, I was now standing (and I must say fully taking part in) wild celebrations in the Green stands. Game ended. Chapecoense got all the points and a boost in their quest to stay in the top flight of Brazilian Football.
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| The football match |
There was a strong police presence after the match, the two groups of supports were very nicely sheapareded away from each other. It was a really great experience, made all the more significant in the light of the devastating disaster which this small club had survived.
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