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Club director: Chapecoense to be rebuilt even stronger

Fredy Builes / Reuters

Chapecoense will use reserve players in its final match of the regular season against Atletico Mineiro on Dec. 11, before a complete rebuild ahead of the 2017-18 campaign, as reported by BBC Sport.

"In the memory of those who died and to honour their families, we will rebuild this club from scratch so it is even stronger," said club director Cecilio Hans.

The Brazilian Serie A team's plane crashed into a mountainous region near Medellin, Columbia on Monday, while it was making its descent ahead of the Copa Sudamericana final.

Related: Plane carrying a Brazilian soccer club crashes in Colombia; 71 dead

Chapecoense lost the majority of its squad - 19 players and its entire coaching staff - while defender Neto was the only survivor who started in the tournament semi-final.

The timing of the crash makes the situation even harder to stomach, as Chapecoense was the epitome of a real-life fairy tale.

Back in 2009, Chape played in the fourth tier of Brazilian football, and - similar to Swansea City in England - experienced an epic rise from obscurity, establishing themselves in Serie A by 2014.

Related: Atletico Nacional requests cup goes to Chapecoense after plane tragedy

Nine players did not travel with the team on Monday, and reserve goalkeeper Marcelo Boeck said he - along with most of the other survivors - had a deal to leave Chape, but is now giving it a serious amount of thought.

"We know this is a different moment, and we are part of it," Boeck said. "We hope we can help rebuild in the memory of our team."

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