Fresh from being named The Economist’s ‘Country of the Year,’ and the No. 2 travel destination of 2017 by Lonely Planet, the Colombian people have been voted as ‘personality’ of the year in a poll conducted by the Central Brasileña de Noticias or CBN, a popular Brazilian news channel. The vote was for the solidariedade do povo colombiano, or the solidarity of the Colombian people in the wake of the devastating plane crash near Medellin in late November this year, which claimed the lives of all but 3 of the travelling squad of Chapecoense football club, who were due to face Medellin’s Atlético Nacional in the final of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana. The Colombian people came in first, with 51.1% of the vote, with Donald Trump winning the corresponding ‘Villain of the Year’ award.
In the days following the accident the Colombian people rallied to the support of Chapecoense and the Brazilian people. Particularly notable incidents included Atlético Nacional requesting for the trophy to be awarded to Chapecoense as a mark of respect, and Nacional’s fans flooding the Medellin stadium dressed in white to pay tribute to the fallen players. Colombian authorities were also praised for the way they dealt with the incident.
The terrible crash and its aftermath marked a watershed moment in Colombian-Brazilian relations which had, in the wake of several high-profile and bad-blooded football fixtures since the World Cup in 2014, become distinctly strained. The World Cup tie in particular, which saw a number of shocking tackles from both sides and a broken back for Brazilian star Neymar, almost created an intense football rivalry out of thin air. However, in the wake of such a tragedy, that friction seems to be been put aside. A square in the city of Chapeco is set to be named after Medellin, and this latest vote underlines the new found bond between Colombia and Brazil borne out of this terrible tragedy.
Chris
Gustavo on
Chris: I really enjoy your articles, it’s fun to learn new things about my country and to know that a foreigner finds worthwhile writing about it. One thing I have noticed is the wrong use of it’s when you mean its (possessive). In this article you made the same mistake. Remember that it’s = it is and review your articles. Even in your short biography you have made that mistake.