Coritiba players wear name of English fan Jonny Butcher on shirts ahead of Serie A win

Coritiba players wore the name of English fan Jonny Butcher on their shirts when they walked out for their Serie A league match against Chapecoense at Couto Pereira on Saturday evening to raise awareness of motor neurone disease (MND). The gesture honoured Butcher, a 29-year-old from Norwich who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in February.

MND is an incurable condition that damages parts of the nervous system, destroying motor neurones (specialist nerve cells) in the brain and spinal cord, causing muscles to weaken, waste away and eventually stop working. A Norwich City fan since childhood, Butcher took an interest in Brazilian Serie A club Coritiba after meeting his wife, Coritiba native Ana Clara, on a Christian dating app in March 2023 and later visiting Brazil, where he fell in love with the city. Norwich City and Coritiba formed a strategic partnership in 2022, and the couple married in 2024; in February Butcher's diagnosis turned their lives upside down.

Butcher made a bucket list of things he wanted to experience while he still could, and among them was attending a Coritiba match at their Couto Pereira stadium with his brother-in-law. While breathing difficulties and a loss of mobility have prevented that, Coritiba heard about Butcher's story and decided to honour him before their Serie A win against Chapocoense. As well as bearing his name, the front of the players' shirts read: "Your strength inspires us. We stand as one."

Incorporated into the design was a sunflower, the international symbol of awareness for non-visible disabilities. Following the Brazilian national anthem, the players posed with a banner bearing Butcher's name and the signatures of Coritiba fans, players and staff. "We sat there watching it all from England, completely overwhelmed and honestly struggling to believe that this was really happening," Ana Clara told BBC Sport.

"Last night Jonny said he wishes he could shake every hand and tell each person individually what this meant to him," added Ana Clara. "We may never be able to properly express our gratitude, but we hope they know that this is something we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. "Even in the hardest chapter of our lives, there is still so much love and kindness in the world. This will forever be a part of our story."

Coritiba said some of the shirts will be sent to Butcher's family and an institution that provides assistance for people with rare diseases, including MND.