Manchester United vs West Ham: EFL Cup opponents to wear black armbands in Chapecoense plane crash tribute

Tom Doyle30 November 2016

Manchester United and West Ham players will observe a minutes' silence and wear black armbands tonight in tribute to the victims of the Colombian plane crash that killed most of the Chapecoense football team.

The jet carrying the Chapecoense team, along with club officials and journalists, came down late on Monday night, officials from the Jose Maria Cordova International Airport in Medellin announced. Six of the 77 people on board survived.

A minute's silence was observed before EFL Cup quarter-final matches on Tuesday between Liverpool and Leeds, and Hull and Newcastle, and Manchester United - who suffered their own similar tragedy with the 1958 Munich air disaster - have announced tributes will be held at tonight's Old Trafford meeting with West Ham.

United tweeted: "There will be a minute’s silence ahead of kick-off tonight to remember those who lost their lives in Colombia. #ForçaChape".

Brazil's leading football clubs have pledged to loan players to Chapecoense for free and asked for them to be safeguarded from relegation from the top flight for the next three seasons.

Chapecoense were on their way to play in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional, which had been due to take place on Wednesday evening.

News of the crash sent shock waves around the football world, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino offering his condolences, along with three-time World Cup winner Pele, while current Brazil international Neymar, the Barcelona forward, said the news was "impossible to believe".

AFP/Getty Images

Following Tuesday's developments, Atletico Nacional asked CONMEBOL, the South American Football Confederation, to award the cup to their opponents as a tribute to those who died.

A joint statement from Brazil's top clubs published on the website of Corinthians called for all in Brazilian football to help Chapecoense rebuild as a mark of solidarity.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.

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