Colombian club Atletico Nacional yesterday publicly asked the South American football federation CONMEBOL to award the Suda-mericana Cup to Brazilian rivals Chape-coense after most of the team’s players were killed in an air crash.

Chapecoense had been en route to Medellin to play Atletico Nacional when the team’s plane went down on Monday night.

“Atletico Nacional asks CONMEBOL that the Sudamericana Cup title be awarded to Chapecoense as a laurel in honour of its great loss and a posthumous homage to the victims of the fatal accident that has left our sport in mourning,” read a statement on the club’s website.

“As far as we are concerned, Chape-coense will forever be the champions of the Sudamericana Cup 2016.”

Caio Junior – Chapecoense coach.

The BAe 146 plane, en route from Bolivia where the team had a stopover, went down about 10.15pm on Monday with 72 passengers and a crew of nine on board.

Colombia’s civil aviation authority said there were 75 confirmed fatalities.

It identified the six survivors as players Alan Ruschel, Jackson Follmann and Hélio Neto; journalist Rafael Valmorbida; Bolivian flight attendant Ximena Suarez; and Bolivian flight technician Erwin Tumiri.

In addition to players, coaches and staff, 21 journalists had been on board the plane to cover the match, Brazilian news organisations said yesterday.

It was the first time Chapecoense, a small club from the southern Brazilian town of Chapeco, had reached the final of a major South American club competition.

Matches were cancelled around South America and Brazil declared three days of mourning.

“They were the hope of our city,” said Jean Panegalli, 17, a student in Chapeco, where fans were disconsolate.

“They played for love of the shirt and not for money. They played with the commitment that only those who have lived here know.”

The crash evoked memories of a series of soccer air disasters in the 20th century, including the Munich crash in 1958 that killed 23 people, among them eight Manchester United players, journalists and travelling officials.

FIFA said on Twitter its “thoughts were with the victims, their families, fans of Chapecoense and media organisations in Brazil on this tragic day.”

Chapecoense qualified for the biggest game in their history after overcoming Argentina’s San Lorenzo in the semis on away goals following a 1-1 draw in Buenos Aires and 0-0 draw at home.

They were underdogs for the match against a club going for a rare double after winning the Copa Libertadores in July.

Chapecoense was the 21st biggest club in Brazil in terms of revenue in 2015, bringing in 46 million reais ($13.5 million), according to a list by Brazilian bank Itau BBA.

The club has built its success on a frugal spending policy that eschewed big-money signings and concentrated on blending young talent and experienced journeymen.

Yesterday, several hundred dejected fans gathered around the team’s Conda stadium in Chapeco, many of them wearing Chapecoense’s green strip.

“It is still hard to believe what has happened to the Chapecoense team just when it was on the rise,” said Agenor Danieli, 64, a pensioner.

Chapecoense’s best-known player was Cleber Santana, a midfielder whose best years were spent in Spain with Atletico Madrid and Mallorca.

Coach Caio Junior also was experienced, having managed at some of Brazil’s biggest clubs, Botafogo, Flamengo and Palmeiras among them.