3 Air disasters that shook the football world

#2 Torino football team (May 4, 1949)

The Grande Torino

Superga air disaster is one of the most horrifying incidents in the history of football. The aeroplane crash wiped out the entire Torino football team.

The Grande Torino ('Grande 'simply due to their exceptional performances during the time) were on their way home from Lisbon after playing a friendly match with S.L Benfica in the Fiat G.212 aircraft of Italian airlines.

The team which perished had already been named the winners of Serie A that year. Many of the players were also an important part of Italy's national team.

All 31 on board lost their lives as the plane crashed into an embankment of the Basilica of Superga. A million people took to the streets of Turin in order to bid their farewell to the players on the day of their funeral.

This incident shook other Italian players to the extent that players of the Italian national team travelled by ship to the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil next year.