Barcelona invite Chapecoense to 2017 Joan Gamper Trophy following plane crash

Barcelona have invited Chapecoense to play the 2017 Joan Gamper Trophy following the recent devastating plane crash which killed most of the team's players.

The Brazilian side were travelling to Medellin on 28 November to play Atletico Nacional in the first leg of the final of the Copa Sudamericana – the biggest match in their history – when their flight crashed near Medellin. Seventy-one passengers, including 19 players and staff of the Brazilian team died and only six survived, three of them players.

A number of clubs from different leagues have since paid a special tribute to the victims, while Chapecoense was recently awarded the Copa Sudamericana trophy by South American Football Confederation Conmebol following the request of Atletico Nacional.

Barcelona have now joined those tributes by inviting the club to take part in their annual Joan Gamper Trophy.

"FC Barcelona has agreed to invite to the next edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy the Brazilian team Chapecoense, who were the victims of the tragic plane crash, on its way to play the final of the Copa Sudamericana in Colombia on 28 November," the La Liga giants have confirmed through an official statement. "FC Barcelona want to pay tribute to the 71 people who died in the accident and their families, and will therefore make the 2017 Joan Gamper Trophy a great tribute to the world of football through various activities around this match which will become known as the date of this celebration approaches."

Furthermore, the La Liga team have also expressed their intentions to collaborate in the reconstruction of the Brazilian team.

"Along with the invitation to Chapecoense to the 2017 Joan Gamper Trophy, FC Barcelona would like to collaborate on the institutional and sporting reconstruction of the club, and help to recover the competitive level that it had.

"FC Barcelona has today sent a formal letter of invitation to the current board of directors of Chapecoense."

The Joan Gamper Trophy is an annual friendly which takes place pre-season at Camp Nou to honour Gamper, a founding member, player, and later president of the club.

It has been played since 1966 and in recent years has enjoyed the presence of teams like Sampdoria, Roma, Santos, AC Milan, Napoli or Boca Juniors.