Chapeco (Brazil): A downpour drenched thousands of mourners in here Saturday as they grieved over 50 caskets flown overnight to the stadium of the local Chapecoense soccer team, which was all but wiped out in an air crash Monday in Colombia.
An arena filled with banners and team faithfuls donning their green and white colours served as an open-air wake for locals. Just a week ago, they were braced to celebrate the plucky squad, which had ascended from minor leagues in recent years to reach the final of a major South American tournament.
Instead, they looked on as Air Force troops, after unloading the bodies from cargo aircraft, ferried the caskets to makeshift tents erected on the team’s soggy home turf, where victims’ families sat in sorrow.
President Michel Temer, who flew in from Rio de Janeiro, at dawn to receive the caskets at a Chapeco airfield, bestowed posthumous honours on the deceased athletes.
“This event, as you know, shook the whole country,” Temer told reporters in brief comments before making the short drive to the stadium, where he remained silent for the rest of the emotional tribute. “This rain must be Saint Peter crying.”
Only six people survived the crash, including just three members of the club, en route to the Copa Sudamericana final, the biggest game in their history. Earlier Saturday, the bodies of eight journalists who also died in the crash arrived in Rio de Janeiro.
In this small agricultural city, dozens of fans kept vigil overnight at the stadium, where an impromptu shrine swelled with fresh flowers and handmade posters.
Fans said the tragedy was especially painful for locals who not only saw players on the field, but on the streets and in apartment buildings of a city of just 200,000 people.
“They could put Neymar on the field here and it wouldn’t replace what we’ve lost,” said Juliana Frata, a local supporter, referring to the Brazilian soccer star. “Those players were our neighbours. It felt like every day you would bump into them and their families.”
Among dignitaries in attendance was Gianni Infantino, FIFA president. “There are no words that can diminish the suffering,” he said in a brief speech.
In response to outpourings of support from soccer fans and clubs around the globe, Chapecoense hung a huge black banner from the outer wall of its stadium. “We looked for one word to thank all the kindness and we found many,” it read, followed by the words ‘thank you’ in more than a dozen languages.
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