THE Brazilian soccer team aboard the plane that crashed in Colombia was gaining respect and support from across Brazil even though it was a small club with a short history.

    Chapecoense, founded in 1973, was preparing to play in the Copa Sudamericana final, South America’s second-biggest club competition after the Copa Libertadores. The team was flying to Medellin to face Atletico Nacional on Tuesday in the first leg of the final.

    Members of the Chapecoense team were among the 81 people on board the chartered aircraft that crashed on its way to Medellin’s international airport.

    Latin America and the world of soccer were shaken by the tragic crash. A total of 71 people were killed, including some 20 sports writers who were flying with the team. Previous reports said the death toll was 76. Brazilian President Michel Temer declared three days of mourning .

    World soccer body FIFA, Brazil’s Soccer Confederation and the South American Soccer Confederation (Conmebol) all issued statements lamenting the tragedy and offering condolences. Conmebol suspended all confederation events until further notice.

    Atletico Nacional said on its Twitter account it “profoundly laments and expresses solidarity with @chapelcoensereal for the accident that occurred.”

    Chapecoense reached Brazil’s first division in 2014 and was in ninth place ahead of this weekend’s last round of games. On its way to the continental final, the team known as Chape beat major clubs such as Argentina’s San Lorenzo and Independiente. Chape strikers Bruno Rangel and Kempes, both 34 years old, are among the top scorers in the Brazilian league, with 10 and nine goals, respectively. One of the team’s top players is 35-year-old midfielder Cleber Santana, who played for Atletico Madrid from 2007-10. Another team leader was defender Helio Hermito Zampier Neto — simply known as Neto.

    Among the passengers on the flight was Mario Sergio Pontes de Paiva, a former soccer player who worked as commentator for Fox Sports.

    Known as Mario Sergio, he played briefly for Brazil’s national team in the early 1980s and had a long career as a midfielder and coach with many Brazilian clubs. He last coached Brazilian club Internacional in 2009 and Ceara in 2010.

    Chapecoense is based in Chapeco, a city of about 200,000 that is known for its poultry industry and is located about 1,300 kilometers south of Rio de Janeiro.(SD-Agencies)