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The soccer world rallies around Chapecoense after plane crash tragedy
Sometimes, there just are no words. Even when you’re in the business of putting words together and getting people to read them. Chapecoense’s plane crashed and most of the Brazilian Serie A club’s senior team, and 71 people in all, are dead. That’s the long and the short of it. Those are the facts. Those are the only relevant words.
[ FC Yahoo: Plane crash victims honored in vigils at home and by Atletico Nacional fans ]
So instead of trying to say something meaningful that will ring hollow anyway, we’ll just make note of the reaction from the rest of the soccer world and register the outpouring from all over the soccer universe on Tuesday.
Before training the team held a minutes silence for the victims of the @ChapecoenseReal tragedy in Colombia pic.twitter.com/tjC3JsrWzs
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 29, 2016
???? #ForçaChape #ForcaChapecoense pic.twitter.com/MB3dCeHYMv
— PSG English (@PSG_English) November 29, 2016
The thoughts of everyone at Manchester United are with @ChapecoenseReal & all those affected by the tragedy in Colombia.#ForçaChapecoense pic.twitter.com/EUjAnJQkaB
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 29, 2016
Minute's silence for the victims of the plane crash in Colombia.https://t.co/CzeDgeynuD#RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/9auFteNzOf
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) November 29, 2016
#ForçaChape pic.twitter.com/35GfAl2k7J
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 29, 2016
Lucas knew some of the #Chapecoense players on the plane. He asked #lfc if he could wear black armband tonight. Klopp said all players would
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) November 29, 2016
The thoughts of everyone at The @FA are with @ChapecoenseReal and all the victims of the tragic air accident in Colombia. pic.twitter.com/VJUSD7Dewh
— The FA (@FA) November 29, 2016
Outside Wembley tonight. Lovely little touch ???????? #Chapecoense #ColombiaPlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/JZbJhtHSYv
— Arsenal FC (@ArsenalFCisLife) November 29, 2016
Classy move from the @hornets honoring the #Chapecoense soccer team with a moment of silence before the game #BuzzCity #class pic.twitter.com/oFc82jZYeb
— Chad Dellinger (@TheChadisGreat1) November 30, 2016
A moment of silence from the Colo Colo squad for #Chapecoense. pic.twitter.com/lwn1vs4Vmw
— #ForcaChape (@ColoColoEnglish) November 29, 2016
We mourn with the players, staff, family, and supporters of @ChapecoenseReal. Our thoughts with them all. pic.twitter.com/ELWdhAmB4w
— The American Outlaws (@AmericanOutlaws) November 30, 2016
Support also came in more tangible form. Three major Brazilian clubs — Flamengo, Palmeiras and Sao Paulo — offered to loan players to Chapecoense in order to finish out this season, per the BBC, and then the get through next. They were soon followed by several other clubs. One round of games remains in the 2016 season, in which Chape currently sits in a respectable ninth place in the Brazilian Serie A.
Meanwhile, Colombia’s Atletico Nacional — which was slated to play Chape in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana, South America’s second-tier continental tournament, when the Brazilian club’s plane crashed on its way to Medellin — petitioned the regional governing body, CONMEBOL, to award Chapecoense the tournament title and the prize money. The money would go to the victims’ families. And the title would complete the Cinderella run Chape had been on, rising from Brazil’s fourth tier to the final of one of its major tournaments inside a decade.
Several clubs also called to protect Chape from relegation from Serie A for three seasons in order to allow for time so that the club can rebuild its squad.
Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.
