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Brazilian top-flight club wear name of English fan with MND on shirts
Coritiba, a Brazilian Serie A football club, wore shirts bearing the name of Jonny Butcher, a 29-year-old Norwich fan diagnosed with motor neurone disease, during their match against Chapecoense to raise awareness of the incurable condition. Butcher, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in February, had developed ties to the club through his wife Ana Clara, a Coritiba native he met in 2023, and through Norwich City's strategic partnership with the Brazilian side.
Instead of their usual sponsor branding, the players' shirts read "Your strength inspires us. We stand as one." alongside a sunflower symbolising non-visible disabilities, and the squad posed with a banner bearing Butcher's name signed by fans, players and staff. Illness has prevented Butcher from fulfilling his wish to attend a match at Coritiba's Couto Pereira stadium, and the club said some of the shirts would be sent to his family and to an institution supporting people with rare diseases including MND.
In short
- Brazilian club Coritiba honoured Norwich fan Jonny Butcher, who has MND
- Shirts replaced sponsor branding with his name and a supportive message
- Butcher has ties to Coritiba through his wife and Norwich City's partnership
Explained simply
Motor neurone disease (MND) is an incurable condition that damages the nerves controlling movement. It can affect a person’s ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe, and its effects vary from person to person.
Coritiba is a football club based in Curitiba, Brazil, and competes in the country’s top division. Norwich City, an English club, has a strategic partnership with Coritiba; Jonny Butcher, a Norwich supporter, also has family ties to the Brazilian club through his wife, Ana Clara.
The sunflower is used to indicate that someone has a disability or condition that may not be visible. MND awareness efforts help explain the condition and recognise the experiences of people living with it and their families.
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