Atletico Nacional ask for Chapecoense to be awarded Copa Sudamericana title after plane crash... as fans of the Brazilian team flock to club stadium to pay tribute to victims
* More than 70 of the 81 people travelling on Flight AMI2933 are believed to have lost their lives after a plane carrying the Chapecoense to the Copa Sudamericana crashed in Colombia
* They were due to take on Atletico Nacional in the final in Medellin
* Now Atletico have reportedly requested that Chapecoense are awarded victory in the final
* Fans of the Brazilian side have flocked to their stadium to begin mourning
Fans of Brazilian football club Chapecoense were united in their grief as they gathered in front of the Arena Conda stadium to mourn those who lost their lives in the tragic plane crash on Tuesday.
81 passengers were travelling on Flight AMI2933 to take part in the club's first ever Copa Sudamericana final in Medellin, Colombia when it crashed, reportedly killing more than 70 of those on board.
Now their opponents for a game that will now never take place, Atletico Nacional, have made a request to CONMEBOL that Chapecoense be named as winners of the tournament in tribute to those who lost their lives in the disaster.
This heartbreaking picture showed players who were not travelling with the team sitting in the empty club changing room
United for the last time, this is the Brazilian football team posing together in front of a passenger jet before their doomed flight crashed in Colombia, killing 71 on board
The plane carrying 76 people crashed in Colombia - only five people survived
The Chapecoense football team are pictured here on a plane. The footballers had to change their flight and board the plane that crashed after Brazilian aviation authorities prevented them from taking a charter flight, it has been claimed
Atletico Nacional player Gilberto García led the calls for the tournament to be awarded to their opponents, saying: 'We want Chapecoense to be champions'.
Brazilian football continued to unite in the aftermath of the disaster, with a statement appearing on Corinthians' website confirming that the Presidents of the country's top flight clubs are proposing to the Brazilian Football Association that Chapecoense be exempt from relegation for three years and be allowed free loan signings next season.
The gestures come as fans of the Brazilian club flock to their home stadium to mourn those who died, and pray for the passengers who are believed to have survived the crash.
Among the survivors are believed to be defender Alan Ruschel and goalkeeper Jackson Follmann, who were reportedly pulled from the wreckage. Jacson Follmann, defender Helio Hermito, Zampier Neto and passengers Rafael Correa Gobbato and Ximena Suarez also survived, officials said.
Defender Neto also appears to have survived the wreckage after a video was posted online of him being rescued, although his condition and chances of survival are not known.
The plane crashed in a remote mountain region in Colombia after taking off from Bolivia for the match in Medellin. The first leg of the final was due to take place tomorrow, before the return fixture in Brazil seven days later.
More tributes are expected to follow in the coming days in Chapeco, Brazil as a reason for the disaster is sought
Fans gathered to mourn the players, journalists and staff members affiliated with the club today in Chapecó, Brazil.
They wore team colours and tribute flags were flown in honour of those who lost their lives in the tragic accident.
A statement from Atletico read: 'The National deeply regrets and sympathises with Chapecoense by the accident, and expects information from the authorities.'
Flags were hung in support of the team, who were travelling to play in the Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional
Rescue workers attend the wreckage of the plane, which crashed in rural Colombia on its way to Medellin for the final
The statement continuted: 'After being very worried about the human part we thought about the competitive aspect and we want to publish this statement in which Atletico Nacional ask Conmebol to give the title of Copa Sudamericana to Chapecoense as an honorary award for this great loss, and in posthumous homage to the victims of the fatal accident that impute our sport. From us, and forever, Chapecoense are champions of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana.'