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Delhi Dynamos’ Paulinho Dias still retains strong bond with tragedy-hit Chapecoense
Paulinho Dias, the Brazilian midfielder in the Indian Super League side Delhi Dynamos, recalls the pain after most of his ex-club Chapecoense perished in a plane crash late in 2016.
“My reaction was not to believe what everyone was saying. I was shocked.” For Brazilian Paulinho Dias, a sense of disbelief struck on November 28 last year when Bolivian charter flight LaMia 2933 plunged into the mountains near Medellin airport in Colombia, killing 71 passengers on board.
That crash wiped out most of the Brazilian football team, Chapecoense.
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The Delhi Dynamos midfielder in the Indian Super League had played for Chapecoense, but had left a couple of years back, having scored four goals in 47 games over two seasons.
MORE TO LIFE THAN FOOTBALL
Paulinho Dias’ stint with Delhi Dynamos is his first outside Brazil in a career that has seen him play for 10 clubs. Chapecoense were heading to play the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana tie against Atletico Nacional when the tragedy struck after the plane ran out of fuel.
“I heard about this (crash) from a friend’s call and then on TV, and by talking to people in Chapeco,” Dias recalls. “I knew a lot of players. The victories and the joy on the days of the games with the stadium always full was something I’ll always remember. We are in touch with the families and are giving them emotional and financial support.”
For Dias, football is only one aspect of the strong bond with his ex-club. “I think life goes far beyond the results on the field. Living and valuing every day is very important,” he said. “The crowd, the fans and the players were all very close to each other. The celebrations and the joys in the dressing room after every win is something I will always cherish from my time in Chapeco.
“A club that was like family, warriors, it was a united city that loved the club, which dreamed and believed anything was possible.”
Had Chapecoense played and won the final, it would have seen a club rise from the third division of a national league to winning a continental title within four years.
FRESH START IN INDIA
In India, Dias has found a fresh lease of life after mostly switching clubs on free transfers or loan spells. “I feel very happy. It is a fantastic country with a great growth in football and with nice people around,” the 29-year-old adds. “I’m very happy in ISL and with Delhi Dynamos FC. I really like the future of the league. About my future? God knows.”
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Asked what made him come all the way to India to play football, he said: “God, and an invitation from Mr Miguel Angel Portugal (Dynamos’ Spanish coach under whom he played at Atletico Paranaense, a Brazilian club). I love your people in India. There’s great respect for foreigners.”
Paulinho Dias’ worries with his current team would be different. Delhi Dynamos are languishing at the bottom of the table.
