Thousands of mourners pay tribute to Chapecoense football team

World Today

In Brazil, thousands of people filled a stadium to bid farewell to members and fans of a local football team. 19 players from the Chapecoense Real football club were among the 71 victims in a plane crash in Colombia.

CCTV America’s Lucrecia Franco reports.
Follow Lucrecia C. Franco on Twitter @LucreciaFranco

Wearing plastic ponchos, Chapecoense fans once again crowded the stands of their beloved club. This time, crying under a heavy rain that added more sorrow to Saturday’s funeral.

Monday’s night crash killed 19 players, most of the club’s staff and 20 sport journalists. Six survived – two crew members, a journalist and three players.

Chapecoense was flying a chartered plane for the finals of the Copa Sudamericana, a fairy tale for the club that just recently jumped to the first division. It was a shock for the football world.

In the response to support from thousands of fans and players from Brazil and around the world, Chapecoense has hung big banners like this one that said thank you in at least twenty languages.