It was an emotional moment for everyone who was in the Arena Conda Stadium on Saturday, January 21. The Chapecoense team of Brazil, took the greens for the first time after the November 29 air crash. According to BBC, the side which recruited 22 players, was up against Brazilian champions, Palmeiras for a friendly that ended in a draw (2-2), though.
Defenders Neto and Alan Ruschel and goalkeeper Jackson Follmann, whose leg was amputated, fought death and were lucky to survive the crash. As a mark of honour, they were given the Copa Sudamericana before the game. Chapecoense had already been awarded the Copa Sudamericana Trophy after the mishap in consultation with Atletico Nacional, the Colombian Club, it was slated to face in the final.
The three footballers are among the six survivors of the crash. Overall, 71 people, including 19 players and staff, lost their lives, while the Chapecoense team was flying to Colombia for the final of the Copa Sudamericana. The players were given the trophy and medals in the presence of the families of the victims in front of a capacity crowd of 20,000 in the stadium. Radio reporter Rafael Henzel, who is also among the six survivors, did commentary for the match. Half of the proceeds of the match will go to the families of the deceased and the remaining amount will go into setting up the club once again.
According to BBC, 241 journalists from around the world were given accreditation by authorities of Chapecoense, to cover the historic encounter. The game stopped for a while after 71 minutes, as players and supporters stood and clapped in honour of the victims only to resume thereafter.
It’s been a tough journey for Chapecoense, which took time to reconcile to the accident. The sporting director of the club, Rui Costa has roped in 22 players, mostly on loan and also appointed Vagner Mancini as the club’s manager. Hopefully, the club will be able to recover from the shock and embark on a successful journey, which will be the perfect tribute to the victims and its supporters.