Mike Hytner, Guardian Australia’s sports editor, has some details on Chapecoense:
Chapecoense were on their way to play in the fist leg of Copa Sudamericana final against Colombian side Atlético Nacional. The match was scheduled to be played in Medellin on 30 November, with the second leg back in Brazil on 7 December.
The team, based in the city of Chapecó in the state of Santa Catarina, play in Brazil’s premier division, Série A. The club was founded in 1973 and first won promotion to the top flight in 2014.
As of last weekend, when they fell to a 1-0 defeat away at already-crowned champions Palmeiras, Chapecoense were ninth in the table after 37 games played. They were scheduled to conclude the domestic season against Atlético Mineiro on Sunday.
The Copa Sudamericana is South America’s second tier club competition, one rung below the Copa Libertadores. The winner of the Copa Sudamericana gains automatic entry into next season’s Copa Libertadores, the centrepiece of the continent’s football calendar.
The final, like each round of the tournament, is a two-legged tie, consisting of a home and an away fixture.
This season Chapecoense had already travelled to Argentina twice, drawing with Independiente and San Lorenzo, and Colombia once, where they lost to Junior 1-0, but progressing on aggregate in all three fixtures.
