The South American soccer federation agreed on Monday to award the Copa Sudamericana to Brazilian club Chapecoense, whose team was wiped out in a plane crash while heading to the first leg of the final.
The body issued a statement announcing the posthumous honor to the previously unsung team, who were having a fairy-tale season until the disaster last week.
Chapecoense vice president Ivan Tozzo hailed the decision as “justice.”
“We were sure that Chape would be champions. It is a beautiful tribute,” he told a news conference.
The charter plane flying the team to the biggest match in their history ran out of fuel and crashed into the mountains in northwestern Colombia.
A total of 71 people died — most of the club members, including players, management and staff. Three players, two crew members and a journalist survived.
The players were heading to play the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final against Colombian club Atletico Nacional in Medellin.
Nacional responded to the crash by calling for Chapecoense to be granted the Copa Sudamericana, the second-highest club soccer title in South America.
The Paraguay-based confederation said on Monday it had heeded Nacional’s request in deciding to hand the title to Chapecoense.
It awarded Nacional its US$1 million 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 their brothers at Chapecoense Football Club,” the statement said.
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.
Meanwhile, Chapeco awoke to the steep task of rebuilding a top-flight team from virtually nothing.
“We have lost practically all our assets,” Tozzo said last week.
He took over from president Sandro Pallaoro, who died in the crash.
“After everything we have achieved, now we have to start again from scratch,” Tozzo said.
“We will have to start to think, because we do not have 11 players to put on the field. We will need a great deal of help from the Brazilian Football Federation and the broadcaster Globo,” which owns the rights to screen the matches, he added.
By taking the Sudamericana title, Chapecoense will compete next season in the region’s top club competition, the Copa Libertadores.
They will also face Atletico Nacional in the Recopa Sudamericana, a fixture between the title-holders of the Copa Sudamericana and the Copa Libertadores.
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