Hundreds of Chapecoense fans "have gathered at the football club’s stadium in Chapecó, Brazil, to mourn the players and staff killed," according to Jack Lang of the London GUARDIAN. The Brazilian team was traveling to Medellín to play Atlético Nacional. Chapecoense VP Ivan Tozzo, who was not with the team, said that fans and staff "had congregated at the club’s Arena Condá to await the latest news." Members of the crowd wore the team’s colors and "brought flags and flowers to leave in tribute to the victims." At one point the fans began to recite the Lord’s Prayer together. Tozzo: "The pain is hard to take. Chapecoense was the biggest source of happiness in the city. Many in the town are crying." Given the club’s size and "relatively meagre resources," even reaching the Copa Sudamericana was a "remarkable achievement." But its route to the final, "which included gritty triumphs over Argentinian sides Independiente and San Lorenzo, made Chapecoense a national sensation" -- a "fairytale story" that coach Caio Júnior compared to Leicester City’s '15-16 Premier League success. Plínio David de Nes Filho, president of the club’s guiding committee, "gave an emotional interview" describing the "fraternal atmosphere" at the club. He said, "Lifelong friends were on that flight. It was not just a group founded on mutual respect; it was a family. We lived in harmony, with great happiness. Before boarding the flight, they said they were going to turn their dreams into reality. The dream ended this morning" (GUARDIAN, 11/29).
REACTIONS: Chapecoense said in a statement, "Chapecoense Football Club, through its vice-president Ivan Tozzo, reserves the right to wait for the official announcement from the Colombian air authority, in order to issue any official note about the accident. God be with our athletes, management, journalists and other guests who are with the delegation." The Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) said in a statement, "CBF expresses its dismay at the news coming from Colombia -- a plane crash carrying the Chapecoense delegation, journalists and guests, on their way to the first game of the South American Cup final. We are in contact with Conmebol, local authorities and representatives of the club for more information, before we announce possible measures regarding the progress of Brazilian football." CONMEBOL said in a statement, "The South American Football Confederation confirms that it has been notified by Colombian authorities that the plane in which the Chapecoense delegation from Brazil was traveling suffered an accident upon arrival in Colombia. We are in contact with the authorities and pending official progress. The CONMEBOL family greatly regrets what happened. All activities of the Confederation are suspended until further notice." Diego Maradona said on Facebook, "My condolences for the families of Chapecoense and Brazil and of everyone who died in the tragic plane crash in Colombia." Both Atlético Nacional and Argentine club San Lorenzo tweeted their condolences, as did Argentine clubs Boca Juniors, River Plate, Racing and Independiente, among others. Lionel Messi, Neymar, Sergio Agüero, and River Plate's Sebastián Driussi were among int'l footballers who addressed the tragedy on social media.
'LAST IMAGE': The DPA reported Tozzo said of the club's next steps, "We do not know what to do now, Chapecoense has to continue. Right now we have to find everyone and identify the bodies." Chapecoense President Sandro Luiz Pallaoro died in the crash, meaning Tozzo "is now the club's maximum authority." The organization tweeted a video of the players celebrating a recent win, with the phrase, "May this be the last image of our warriors" (DPA, 11/29).
Below are more reactions from throughout int'l football:
