120,000 to attend Chapecoense players' funeral

Rio de Janiero, Dec 3: Around 120,000 people, including celebrities, politicians, athletes and jourlists are expected to be at the Saturday funeral of the Chapecoense footballers and coaches.

Nineteen players, most of the club’s training staff and a number of jourlists and guests were killed in the Monday plane crash in Colombia, that saw a death toll of 71.

The funeral would be held on the grass of Are Conda, Chapecoense’s home ground in Chapeco. It is expected to be the largest event ever held in the city of 200,000 people, Xinhua news reported.

“It will be one of the largest gathering ever seen in the city. 20,000 people will be inside the stadium and 100,000 will follow the ceremony on screens outside it,” said Deputy Mayor Elio Francisco Cella.

“This is all very painful but Chapeco will overcome,” said Cella at a press conference.

Access to the stadium would be restricted to the families and friends of the victims and not to general public.

Coach Caio Junior would be buried in his home of Curitiba, while the remains of team captain, Cleber Santa, would be sent to his family in Recife. IANS