In Ecclesiastes, the Lord said there's a time to mourn and a time to laugh. Football is not without such times, with major tragedies that rocked the world of football, shocking fans and revealing that footballers are only human after all and should be respected.
The first is:
1. Superga Air Disaster — Torino (Italy), 4 May 1949:
The plane carrying Torino's players and staff crashed near Turin in dense fog while returning from a friendly in Lisbon. All 31 people on board were killed, including 18 first-team players, wiping out an entire generation of the Italian national team. The Italian Football Federation at the time ruled that Torino, who were at the top of Serie A, should continue playing the league with their youth team. Out of respect, other clubs also played with their youth teams, and Torino were eventually crowned champions posthumously. This was one of the saddest times not just in Italy but across the world, and the respect shown by other Italian clubs proves that this is greater than football.
2. Munich Air Disaster — Manchester United (England), 6 February 1958:
The plane carrying Manchester United players and staff crashed on takeoff in Munich after a refueling stop. 23 people died in total, including 8 players. A makeshift team played the remaining matches, reaching the FA Cup final but losing to Bolton. Every 6 February, Manchester United fans hold a memorial in honor of those who died.
3. Heysel Stadium Disaster (1985 — Belgium):
Before the European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool, a lack of crowd control caused a wall to collapse in the stadium, leading to the death of 39 people, mostly Juventus supporters. English clubs were banned from European competitions for five years because of this singular disaster.
4. Zambian National Team Crash (1993 — Gabon):
The Zambian national team was on its way to a 1994 AFCON qualifier against Senegal when the plane carrying the team crashed in Gabon. The match was postponed. However, Zambia carried those who lost their lives in their hearts and were remarkably able to reach the AFCON final, narrowly losing to Nigeria. In 2012, Zambia won the AFCON in Gabon, dedicating their victory to their deceased teammates.
5. Chapecoense Crash (2016 — Colombia):
Chapecoense was flying to play the Copa Sudamericana final when their plane ran out of fuel and crashed near Medellín. 71 people died, including most of the team and staff, and only three players survived. Their opponents, Atlético Nacional, requested that the cup be awarded to Chapecoense as a gesture of respect. The surviving players lifted the trophy in 2017. Atlético Nacional’s gesture shows that football is about more than just the game.
Honorable Mentions:
Emiliano Sala (2019):
In 2019, Argentine striker Emiliano Sala had just transferred to Cardiff City from Nantes. However, his dreams of playing in the Premier League were cut short when his plane disappeared over the English Channel en route to Wales. His body was eventually recovered from the wreckage along with the pilot he had hired.
Diogo Jota and André Silva (3 July 2025 — Cernadilla, Zamora Province, Spain):
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva recently lost their lives in a car crash. According to authorities, their car veered off the road and caught fire while trying to overtake another vehicle. They were pronounced dead on the spot. Jota had planned to head to England to join Liverpool for the new season after a minor lung procedure; his surgeon had advised him not to take a flight, so he planned to use a ferry instead. Only 11 days before his death, he had married his childhood sweetheart, Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children. The whole world was shocked by his death, with Liverpool retiring his No. 20 shirt and paying his entire contract to his family. Diogo and André were honored at Portugal’s World Cup qualification match against Armenia.
RIP André. RIP Diogo. You will always be No. 20.