The Rebirth of Chapecoense

Published: Jan. 26, 2017, 5:44 p.m.

On Saturday 21 January, Chapecoense took to the pitch for the first time since the plane crash which killed 71 people. The friendly against Palmeiras was a symbolic and emotional return for a club trying to recover from a tragedy. World Football's Mani Djazmi travels to Chapecó to find out how the team and the city are rebuilding, after one of football's great disasters. Also, Otto Pfister talks about his remarkable career. The German coach began his African adventure when he took over Rwanda in 1972. Along the way, he became friends with President Mobutu of Zaire and some of the best African footballers of all time. Picture: Brazilian Chapecoense goalkeeper Jackson Follmann (C), a survivor of the LaMia airplane crash in Colombia, receives the Copa Sudamericana trophy in Arena Conda stadium before a charity match between Chapecoense and Palmeiras in Chapeco, Brazil on January 21, 2017. (Photo by Leonardo Benassatto/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)