Barcelona invite Chapecoense to play in next Joan Gamper Trophy match
Barcelona have formally invited Chapeconese to play in 2017's Joan Gamper Trophy match, the Catalan club announced on Thursday. Barcelona hope to help Chapecoense's rebuilding effort following the tragic plane crash that decimated the Brazilian club.
The Joan Gamper Trophy is a friendly that takes place before Barcelona's La Liga season kicks off in August. It's held at Barcelona's massive stadium, the Camp Nou, and is a one-off match that typically serves as a fun way to get the season rolling.
Should Chapecoense accept, the mood will certainly be a bit more somber but the support will undoubtedly be amazing. Barcelona hope the event will help Chape in a number of ways.
"FC Barcelona wants 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," Barcelona said.
"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."
The Joan Gamper Trophy match itself is already an honorary match, named after a man who went from founding member, to player, to president of Barcelona. Extending that honor to Chapecoense is a tremendous gesture.
