Daily Times

Chapecoense do not need to worry about their permutations and combinations for the last league match as their opponents Atletico Mineiro have decided to forfeit their points, Sky Sports reported on Thursday.

Chapecoense lost 19 members of their first squad in a plane crash earlier in the week when they were being taken to Medellin, Colombia to play their maiden Copa Sudamerica final. Only three players survived the crash.

Atletico Mineiro president Daniel Nepomuceno says his side, who will finish the season in fourth anyway, will not field a team to take on Chapecoense, who were facing having to use injured players who missed the game and their youth team.

Nepomuceno said: “I just came here to inform you that Atletico Mineiro will not play, will not travel to Chapeco to play the the last round.

“We believe in sport, we respect the pain. It’s not the moment to demand players to do the essence of this sport.

“I have already told the CBF, which agrees with this. I have already spoken with Brazil’s Football Federation (CBF) President Marco Polo del Nero who agreed.

“By doing this, probably the biggest punishment would be losing the three points. Since this does not change the team’s position and this would not damage us, it’s the least we could do for the families, for the city (of Chapeco), for the state (of Santa Catarina) and for the country that is in pain for this week’s tragedy.”