Brazil to play Colombia in charity match for Chapecoense victims

The national football teams of Brazil and Colombia will play a friendly match on January 25 to raise money for the victims of the air crash which killed 19 players from the Brazilian club side Chapecoense.

The match will take place in Rio de Janeiro’s Engenhao stadium, the venue for athletics during this summer’s Olympics.

The Brazil team will be composed of players with local clubs and will not include stars like Neymar, who play in Europe.

Nineteen Chapecoense players were killed in the crash just outside Medellin, Colombia, as the team headed to play Colombian club Atletico Nacional in the Copa Sudamericana, one of Latin America’s biggest club tournaments.

Also on January 25, Chapecoense will play its first match since the disaster, facing Brazilian club Joinville in a national tournament.

That match will be played at Chapeco’s stadium in southern Brazil.