Colombia plane crash: Chapecoense legend Rafael Lima pays tribute to tragic team-mates… and reveals he was desperate to be on ill-fated flight to Copa Sudamericana final
Former captain lost his place in first-team this season after helping underdogs rise from fourth tier of Brazilian football
SHOCKED Chapecoense defender Rafael Lima says he was devastated not to be on the club’s ill-fated flight to Colombia.
The football world is in mourning after the Brazilian side’s plane crashed on the way to the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional.
71 people perished in the tragic accident, including all-but three of the Chapecoense squad, as well as dozens of club coaching staff and directors.
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Former captain Lima, 30, was one of nine players who did not travel for the match having lost his place in the first-team this season.
He joined fans in the side’s Arena Conda on Tuesday to pay homage to his lost team-mates on the day of what would have been the biggest game in the club’s history.
And Lima – who skippered the side for four years on their rise from Brazil’s third tier - admitted that, while he had been desperate to play in the fixture, he was grateful he could still see his wife and daughter.
He said: “I have been here since Serie C and I was captain for four straight years.
“In 2016, I ended up losing my place – but I carried on working hard. I wanted to go [to Colombia].
“Sometimes we are ungrateful when things do not go as we think they should.
“Unfortunately our brothers have left us, but God showed me that I have more things to do here.
“Today I am distraught, but I can still hug my daughter and kiss my wife. I am breathing and I will wake up tomorrow and take daughter where she wants.
“My brothers cannot do this. It is a devastating loss.”
Chapecoense had been dubbed the ‘Leicester of South America’ by manager Caio Junior during their fairytale run to the final of the continent’s second-most prestigious tournament.
The club, who only reached Brazil’s top flight for the first time in 2014, had defeated Argentinian side San Lorenzo on away goals in the semi-finals last week – after which the boss declared he would “die happy”.
And Lima added that it should just have been the start for his fallen team-mates, who he believes had been destined for great things.
He said: “They enjoyed the best years of their careers with us. Many would have left Chapecoense for another great club, and the Brazil national team.
“More importantly, they were great people.
“Today, football is totally unimportant. We are mourning the loss of many friends and brothers.”