Chapecoense named Copa Sudamericana champions after air disaster
South American football confederation CONMEBOL has agreed to award the Copa Sudamericana to Brazilian club Chapecoense - the team that died in a plane crash while heading to the final.
"CONMEBOL awards the title for the 2016 Copa Sudamericana championship to Chapecoense," including the US $2.0 million in prize money, the confederation said in a statement.
The unsung club was having a fairy tale season until the charter plane flying it to the biggest match in its history ran out of fuel and smashed into the mountains in northwestern Colombia a week ago, killing 71 people.
The side was heading to play the first leg of the final against Colombian club Atletico Nacional in the city of Medellin.
Nacional responded to the crash by calling for Chapecoense to be granted the Copa Sudamericana, the second highest club football title in South America.
Centenas de torcedores cercam estádio da Chapecoense e rezam. Siga a cobertura minuto a minuto em https://t.co/GPBOIwqgHN #forçachape pic.twitter.com/Ee2yWyTZmA
— Folha de S.Paulo (@folha) November 29, 2016
The confederation said it had heeded Nacional's request in deciding to hand the title to Chapecoense.
It awarded Nacional its CONMEBOL Centenary Fair Play award.
"There is no greater demonstration of the spirit of understanding and fair play... than the consideration and respect shown by Atletico Nacional to its brothers in Chapecoense Football Club," the statement said yesterday.
The small Brazilian city of Chapeco held a massive funeral on Saturday for its team after the victims' coffins arrived home, each draped in the club's green and white flag.
A minute's silence for the team was scheduled to be held before every Champions League and Europa League game this week.
--PTI
First published: 6 December 2016, 11:00 IST
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