The world of football, or soccer here in the States, is in mourning. On November 28, 2016, a plane carrying 76 people crashed in Rionegro, Colombia killing 71 people leaving only 6 survivors. The plane was carrying members of the Brazilian football team Associação Chapecoense de Futebol, or Chapecoense, and only 3 of the survivors were members of the club. The team had been scheduled to play in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional in Medellin, Colombia. This team is the epitome of what constitutes a Cinderella story. Just as recently as 2009, Chape, as they are known in Brazil, were competing in the fourth tier of Brazilian football. They were promoted to the third tier in 2009, the second tier in 2012, and the first tier in 2013. Of course, this is massive achievement considering how competitive Brazilian football is. Along with this, they were able to make it to the final of the Copa Sudamericana this year, which, by their standards, can be labeled as considerably herculean. There is really no way to describe how massive an achievement making it to the final is.
To provide some background, the Copa Sudamericana, equivalent to the Europa League in Europe, serves as the second most prestigious intracontinental competition in South America behind the Copa Libertadores, equivalent to the Champions League in Europe. These competitions have clubs from different countries, in this case South American ones, play each other and are meant to be elite competitions where the best, qualified clubs, determined by a set number of allotted spaces dictated by league prestige and overall national performance in these competitions over a certain period of time determined by the South American football federation CONMEBOL, and Chape’s mere presence and participation in this season’s edition was already a noteworthy achievement considering their minuscule stature, feeble financial standing, and unconvincing historical background. However, they were able to carry their underdog status all the way to the final.
They won over the hearts of the Brazilian public in an overwhelmingly heartwarming manner. There weren’t and surely aren’t many Brazilians that will tell you they disliked Chape. They were the perfect case study into understanding pure comradery, grit, tenacity, and hard work notwithstanding their underestimated and underrated levels of talent and experience. They were riding a wave, and their momentum was taking them to unprecedented glory. Indeed, the entire country of Brazil was riding this wave with them and not just their loyal and loving fans, but this wave of support was certainly not a pressure that was getting to them, not in the slightest. However, the unthinkable, the unimaginable occurred.
Their commercial flight from São Paulo, Brazil to Santa Cruz, Bolivia went according to plan but it was the connecting flight that they took from Santa Cruz to Medellin, Colombia that proved to determine an unimaginably horrific fate. According to reports, the plane was low on fuel and because of a delayed departure, the plane couldn’t make a pit stop in Cobija, Bolivia because the airport doesn’t operate at night. Additionally, on approaching Medellin, the pilot had requested to land immediately because of low fuel, but another plane had been given priority because of a fuel leak. The plane had been redirected and made to stall, and eventually, the remaining fuel, already low and causing electrical complications ran out, and the plane suffered complete electrical failure and crashed in the mountains of Medellin. This tragedy shook the football world and mirrors similar events like those of Torino F.C. in 1949, Manchester United in 1958, the Zambia National Football Team in 1993, amongst others.
What is certain is that the footballing world has come to show its unity and willingness to help those in need once again. The Brazilian teams in the first tier have all collectively requested the Brazilian Football Federation to allow each team to loan Chape players for free as well as provide Chape immunity from relegation for the next three years. Several teams across the footballing world have offered financial support as well as players on loan for free if needed. Barcelona and Real Madrid, arguably the biggest and most prestigious clubs in the world and of all time, have agreed to donate all proceeds from their El Classico clash on Saturday, December 3rd, to Chape. There have even been players that have offered financial support, most notably Cristiano Ronaldo who has offered Chape 3 million Euros. Ronaldinho and Riquelme, surely legends in their own right, have even gone so far as offering to come out of retirement to play for Chape for a couple of years. The fans of Atletico Nacional, Chape’s oppenents in the final, made the most heartwarming gesture who not only petitioned CONMEBOL to award Chape the trophy but also had their fans show up to the stadium when the game was supposed to take place. The scene was astoundingly tear jerking as the fans chanted Chape’s name through the night and paid their tribute. It goes without saying the club has lost most of its personnel with only 6 players surviving in total including the three players who had not made the trip as well as medical personnel, coaching staff, administrators, etc as well as the journalists, pundits, and airline staff on the flight. In the end and once again, the reaction from the footballing world to this tragedy shows us exactly how sports can bring people together beyond differences, rivalries, and irrelevant disputes, especially considering the current climate that we are in. However, it is tremendously disheartening that this has to be demonstrated at the expense of 71 innocent lives. Indeed, this was not only a tragedy for the football world but to humanity as a whole. #forcachape