RIO DE JANEIRO // The Brazilian football team aboard the plane that crashed in Colombia was gaining respect and support from across Brazil even though it was a small club with a short history.
Chapecoense, founded in 1973, were preparing to play in the Copa Sudamericana final, South America’s second biggest club competition after the Copa Libertadores. The team was flying to Medellin to face Atletico Nacional on Wednesday in the first leg of the final.
Members of the Chapecoense team were among the 81 people on board the chartered aircraft that crashed on its way to Medellin’s international airport. Colombian police said five people survived the crash and the rest were killed.
Chapecoense were promoted to Brazil’s first division in 2014 and were lying in ninth place ahead of this weekend’s last round of games. On their way to the continental final, Chape beat major clubs such as Argentina’s San Lorenzo and Independiente.
Chapecoense’s manager is Caio Junior, who was recently employed in the UAE, having managed Al Shabab and Al Jazira in the Arabian Gulf League. The team consists of journeymen players and young loanees from Brazil’s bigger clubs.
Strikers Bruno Rangel and Kempes, both 34, are among the top scorers in the Brazilian league, with 10 and nine goals, respectively. One of the team’s top players is 35-year-old midfielder Cleber Santana, who played for Atletico Madrid from 2007-10.
The club is based in Chapeco, a city of about 200,000 that is known for its poultry industry and is located about 1,300 kilometres south of Rio de Janeiro.
The club, which does not have any players in Brazil’s national team or in the Under 20 team, play home matches at the 22,000-seater Arena Conda. But it had been scheduled to play the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana final at the Couto Pereira Stadium, a 40,000-seat venue in Curitiba, 480 kilometres north of Chapeco.
A group of rival fans, however, became so impressed with Chapecoense’s amazing run in the competition that they started a campaign on social media to move the final to the iconic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Chape had their best season ever in 2016, earning 52 points from 37 matches. On Sunday, the team lost 1-0 at Palmeiras, a result that clinched the Brazilian league title for the hosts.
The team were due to host fourth-place Atletico Mineiro at the Arena Conda on Sunday and then face Atletico Nacional in the return leg of the Copa Sudamericana final on Tuesday.
* Associated Press
