ANNO XIX Luglio 2025.  Direttore Umberto Calabrese

Giovedì, 01 Dicembre 2016 09:24

Iconic statue shrouded in green for Chapecoense

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Relatives of one of the victims of Monday’s plane crash in Colombia have gathered for a memorial mass at one of Brazil’s most iconic landmarks.

Families and friends gathered at the foot of the Christ the Redeemer statue which looks out over Rio de Janeiro.

Shrouded in dense fog, the emblematic statue was poignantly lit up in green, the Chapecoense colours.

Who was the ceremony in honour of?

Guilherme Marques, a 28-year-old reporter from TV Globo.

He was one of the 71 people who died when their chartered aircraft, carrying the Brazilian Chapecoense football team, came down in Colombia.

Brazil and the world of football in mourning

The team lost the majority of its players in the crash.

They were travelling for what has been described as “the biggest match in their history”.

Masses have also been held in other areas of Brazil, including Chapeco, the team’s home city, to commemorate the victims.

Relatives and friends also gathered at the team’s Arena Conda.

They were joined by fans of the club who came to mourn together at the team’s home ground.

Alaide Padilha, the mother of one of those killed, says she is trying to come to terms with the news.

“My heart is in pieces, I am in a lot of pain. It is incredibly difficult. I never thought I would go through this. It hasn’t set in,” she told reporters.

See how the club is paying tribute on its website here

The crash – what happened?

The plane slammed into a mountainside near Medellin on Monday.

The team were on their way to face Atletico Nacional for the Copa Sudamerica, South America’s equivalent of the Europa League.

The BAe 146 charter plane, en route from a stopover in Bolivia, went down around 1015 pm local time.

There were 68 passengers on board, along with a crew of nine.

Only six of the 77 people on board the plane survived.

TV Globo tribute

21 journalists were also on board, in addition to players, coaches and staff.

The journalists were going to cover the match.

Brazil’s TV Globo ended their evening newscast on Tuesday with the newsroom applauding as they remembered those lost.

They include at least one person from their own newsroom.

Tiago Braga Marques from the Portuguese language service at Euronews says this was a special team on the way to the biggest match of their lives.

“What makes this such a tragic story is the fact that a small team that had only played in the lower divisions until 2013 managed to reach the final of a South American football competition.”

“The end was tragic. Outside Brazil, no one knew Chapecoense before this plane crash.”

“But now, not only is Brazil in mourning, the whole football world is in mourning.” (Euronews)

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