7. Tragedy strikes Brazilian club Chapecoense

“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.” 

Bill Shankly, legendary manager of Liverpool from 1959–74, said that. It’s a quote often repeated by soccer fans to this day, with the purpose of inflating the worth of what is essentially a simple game played by people in shorts. It’s mostly used in jest, of course. But in 2016 the soccer world dealt with a tragedy that made that quote look downright ridiculous. 

Chapecoense, once a Cinderella story of Brazilian soccer, is now a club decimated after 19 players, the entire coaching staff, and all but one traveling journalist were killed as the plane carrying them to the Copa Sudamericana final ran out of fuel, suffered electrical failure, and crashed on a hillside on the outskirts of Medellin, Colombia. Just six people (three players, two members of the flight crew, and the journalist) survived. Tragedies in soccer aren’t necessarily rare, but tragedies that engulf an entire team in one fell swoop are. In an instant, Chapecoense joined the ranks of 1949’s Torino FC, 1958’s Manchester United, 1969’s The Strongest, and the 1993 Zambia national team; all squads that suffered devastating losses due to plane crashes. 

The world's tributes to Chapecoense

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Atletico Nacional, the club Chapecoense was flying to play in the Copa Sudamericana final, holds a vigil in a packed stadium in Colombia to honor the victims of the plane crash.

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Atletico Nacional honors Chapecoense with T-shirts prior to a league match in Colombia.

Matt Dunham/AP

Solemn Arsenal players hold up a Força Chape banner prior to a League Cup match.

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Atalanta fans pass a Chapecoense tifo around the stadium.

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Fans at Club America's Liga MX playoff game against Necaxa at Estadio Azteca turn their cellphones into flashlights in honor of the Chapecoense victims.

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Boca Juniors players hold up a banner that, translated, reads "We are all Chapecoense."

Michel Euler/AP

PSG forward Edinson Cavani reveals a Chapecoense T-shirt under his uniform after scoring a goal against Angers in Ligue 1.

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Air Force members carry a casket carrying one of the victims of the Chapecoense air crash during a memorial service at the club's stadium in Chapeco, Brazil.

Wesley Santos/AP

Chapecoense holds a memorial service at Arena Conda on a rainy day to commemorate the lives lost in the plane crash.

Rui Vieira/AP

Manchester City and Chelsea players observe a minute's silence for the victims of the Chapecoense plane crash.

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Rivals united: Barcelona and Real Madrid players stand together to honor the Chapecoense crash victims prior to El Clasico at Camp Nou.

Martin Meissner/AP

Dortmund players stand together in silence to honor Chapecoense.

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Chelsea's Brazilian players David Luiz and Willian hold up armbands with Força Chape written on them to honor the crash victims.

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Everton and Manchester United players observe a moment of silence to honor Chapecoense.

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Fans of Japanese club Cerezo Osaka remember Everton Kempes dos Santos Goncalves, a Chapecoense crash victim who played there in 2012.

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Fiorentina and Palermo players stand silently to commemorate the Chapecoense crash victims.

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Juventus players stand under a spotlight during a moment of observance for the Chapecoense victims.

Rui Vieira/AP

Manchester City players warm up for their match vs. Chelsea with T-shirts dedicated to Chapecoense.

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Fans at Tigres UANL's Liga MX playoff match vs. Leon display a giant black ribbon tifo in honor of the Chapecoense crash victims.

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Argentina power River Plate wears a special jersey with a Chapecoense symbol across the chest.

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Brazilian Bruno Cesar flashes a tribute to Chapecoense after scoring for Sporting Lisbon in Portugal's top flight.

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AC Milan's Ignazio Abate wears a special armband and jersey to commemorate Chapecoense.

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Toronto FC fans show their support for Chapecoense during the second leg of the MLS Eastern Conference final vs. Montreal.

And it’s a shame, because Chapecoense could and should have been known for more than that. Eight years ago the team was toiling in The Brazilian Serie D, before starting a remarkable rise that saw them promoted the to the top-flight Serie A in 2014 for the first time since 1979. Not only did they qualify for the Copa Sudamericana, they made it all the way to the final. They were on their way to Medellin for the first leg of that final, undoubtedly the biggest game in club history, when the crash occurred.

The tributes poured in from all over the globe. Moments of silence were observed. And The Copa Sudamericana itself was awarded to Chapecoense, at the request of their opponents Atlético Nacional. Soccer, it turns out, has nothing on life and death.