Chapecoense A.F, a Brazilian Football team that went through a tragic plane accident, was crowned the 2016 champions of Copa Sudamericana on December 6th, 2016. Not only is the team going to be crowned as the champions, but they will also be receiving an award of over two million dollars for the arduous task of rebuilding the team.

However, there is not going to be an award ceremony. Chapecoense got into a plane crash on their way to Medellin, Colombia on the 29th of November to play the first leg of the finals of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana, a match that was seen as the biggest in the history of the club. The majority of the team players and coaching staff, including their team manager Caio Jùnior, lost their lives in the devastating air crash.

As a result, the finals was immediately canceled following the plane crash. The opponent team, Atletico Nacional of Colombia, requested CONMEBOL, the South American Football Confederation, to concede the Championship to Chapecoense.  Football fans all over the world have praised Atletico Nacional’s act of concession.

As CONMEBOL announced that there are possibilities that the finals would recommence in February due to expensive television broadcasting contracts, Atletico Nacional announced in response that their franchise would do whatever it takes to concede the Copa Sudamericana champion to Chapecoense, even if it is intentionally scoring own goals in the finals.

Following Atletico Nacional’s response, CONMEBOL stated that the confederation would happily accept Atletico Nacional’s request and crown Chapecoense as the champion. Brazilian clubs have also promised to come together and help Chapecoense rebuild by making them exempt from relegation for three seasons and offering to loan them players free of charge.

This is more than a mere gesture, it is a tribute to the team that was so tragically wiped out. If there ever was a sports team deserving of a Nobel Prize, it would be Atletico Nacional.

Alex Choi