Lula pays tribute to Chapecoense athletes.

 From the fourth division to the elite of Brazilian football in just six years, Chapecoense became a symbol of good management that stood out amidst the criticized leaders of Brazilian football, until its successful trajectory was interrupted one step away from glory by a plane crash that decimated the team.

Founded in 1973 in the city of Chapecó, in the interior of Santa Catarina, and the main symbol of the agricultural municipality of about 200 inhabitants, Chapecoense was traveling to play in the first international final in its history when the plane carrying the team crashed on Monday night in Colombia, killing 72 of the 77 people on board.

Four players from the team were rescued alive by authorities: goalkeepers Danilo Padilha and Jackson Follmann, full-back Alan Ruschel, and defender Neto, but Danilo succumbed to his injuries and later died.

Among the club's standout players were midfielder Cléber Santana, formerly of Atlético de Madrid, and coach Caio Júnior, who had experience with various clubs in Brazilian football as well as abroad.

"The news we received this morning is very sad. We never would have expected it... It's unbelievable. It still hasn't sunk in," said Chapecoense's vice-president, Ivan Tozzo, in a TV interview with tears in his eyes, inside Arena Condá, Chapecoense's stadium and one of the team's strongholds.

"The pain is complicated. I've been involved with Chapecoense for a long time, I know what we've been through to get here. Now that we've reached, I won't say our peak, but national prominence, a tragedy like this happens. It's very difficult, a very big tragedy," he added.

Chapecoense was on the verge of bankruptcy in the early 2000s, but recovered with investment from local businessmen and achieved promotion from Série D to Série C of the Brazilian Championship in 2009.

After three seasons in the third division, the team achieved promotion from division C to division B in 2012, and the following year reached the first division, with a philosophy based on administrative organization, timely payment of salaries, and good working infrastructure.

Contrary to what was expected for a team without tradition, the team established itself in the elite of national football and, last year, reached the quarterfinals of the Copa Sudamericana.

This season the team was at its peak. In addition to an unprecedented 9th place finish in the Brazilian Championship with one round to go, Chapecoense defeated Argentine giants Independiente and San Lorenzo on their way to the Copa Sudamericana final against Atlético Nacional of Colombia in Medellín.

The final step before glory, however, was interrupted by the air tragedy.

"They were the city's motivation; they played for the love of the shirt, not for money. They played with grit; only those who live here know what they did for the team. They went from Serie D to the final of the Copa Sudamericana. They were amazing," 17-year-old student Jean Panegalli told Reuters in Chapecó, where hundreds of people gathered outside the team's stadium, Arena Condá, after the tragedy.

Several teams around the world expressed solidarity with "Chape," as the team became known, via Twitter, including Barcelona, ​​Manchester United, and Liverpool.

Barcelona players paid tribute by observing a minute of silence before training on Tuesday. "All our support and solidarity are with the victims and families affected by the Chapecoense tragedy in Colombia," Barça said on Twitter.

(Additional reporting by Paulo Whitaker in Chapecó)

Check out the video with former president Lula: