Soccer-President of Chapecoense club dies from COVID-19

The president of Chapecoense has died from COVID-19, the Brazilian club said, the latest tragedy to hit the side after an airline crash in 2016 killed almost all of their players and backroom staff.

The president of Chapecoense has died from COVID-19, the Brazilian club said, the latest tragedy to hit the side after an airline crash in 2016 killed almost all of their players and backroom staff. "Our hearts are filled with sadness and incredulity as we report the death of Paulo Ricardo Magro, president of Chapecoense," the club said in a statement.

Magro took over at Chapecoense in August 2019 and helped guide them to the top of Serie B and financial stability this year. In 2016, all bar six of the 77 people on board died when the plane carrying them to their biggest ever match, the Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional of Medellin, crashed outside the Colombian city.

The accident prompted outpourings of grief and solidarity in the footballing world.

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