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Chapecoense Returns To Pitch For First Game Since Air Tragedy

Thousands of "fans gathered under a blazing sun in southern Brazil" on Saturday as Brasileiro side Chapecoense played its first match since most of its players were killed in an air crash in Colombia in November, according to Andrew Downie of REUTERS. The friendly against Palmeiras was the first game of the season for both sides but "it was much more about symbolism and emotion than sport for a club looking to bounce back from one of football's great tragedies." The game was halted in the 71st minute to allow fans to scream their now famous "Vamos Chape!" chant in tribute to the players and staff who perished in the plane crash. The Arena Condá stadium was "adorned with thousands of hand-made origami in the shape of hearts and tsurus, birds that signify health, good fortune and long life." One banner behind the goals read, "Eternal Champions, kit man to the president," a reference to the many players and backroom staff who died. The survivors and their relatives "took centre stage before a ball was kicked," with Jackson Follman, the goalkeeper whose leg was amputated as a result of the crash, being presented with the Copa Sudamericana trophy "in a tearful ceremony" (REUTERS, 1/21). The BBC's Mani Djazmi reported while the trophy was being received, "the families of the dead players, journalists and club directors were given medals." Dhayane Pallaoro, whose father Sandro was the "much-loved president of Chapecoense" who died in the crash, said, "It was a hard day, a bit sad, but also a day that we felt the support of all these people. We could never imagine the extent of football's solidarity." A mother of one of the journalists spoke about how it was her son's dream to report on Chapecoense. She said, "He lived for them. And he died with them." One sensed this day was an opportunity for Chapecoense "to let out a big breath." It was "the next landmark after a funeral, when the pain and longing still burns, but the inexorable flow of life has taken everyone just a little bit further away from the agony." But it was also a celebration by the people of who they are, and who their players were (BBC, 1/22). The PA reported only six of the 77 people who traveled for the final against Atlético Nacional survived, including three Chapecoense players -- Follmann, defender Neto and winger Alan Ruschel. All three players wept as they received the Copa Sudamericana trophy before the game on behalf of the club. Wellington Paulista, one of the club's new signings, paid tribute to the crowds and said, "Today was different. It was good for everyone, most importantly the fans here in Chapeco" (PA, 1/21).

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