20 years have passed since the Cali tragedy that cost the lives of “Carepa” Gaviria and Giovanni Córdoba

The years go by and the memories remain intact. As if the events of that fateful and strange afternoon of Thursday, October 24, 2002 had happened yesterday, a week ago… or maybe half an hour ago.

What was scheduled for a good day, involving a pleasant chat about the most exciting sport, ended up being a tragedy that today, 20 years later, football is still crying.

And I was a sad witness to that unfortunate event that shook the Deportivo Cali and the world of football, and that claimed the life of Herman “Carepa” Gaviria at that moment, and then John Córdoba.

The day before, at 10:00 in the morning, I decided to call Gaviria, with whom I was close because he was from the same town. (Turbo, Antioquia)to be one of my sources in a report that I was preparing for next Sunday, on the Colombian National Team.

“Paisano, better get me to Pance, there we talk calmly; that yes, he arrives at 4:00 pm because if he does it at 4:01, he loses the year, he has to wait for us to finish training”, was what a player who was key in Deportivo Cali told me.

At 3:00 pm, with tape recorder and notebook in hand, accompanied by a photojournalist, I left for the Cali sports venue, without thinking that that afternoon the traffic on the Canasgordas Avenuethe one that the driver usually took, was impassable.

As he told me, “I lost the year.” I entered the Cali headquarters in Bellies After 4 o’clock, I went up to the upper part, from where you can see the main courts, and I could see that the players were already in the “bobito”, which is the warm-up that is traditionally done to warm up.

“Carepa” saw me and made a sign that I understood perfectly: he ran his index finger down his neck, what one does to signify that something is missing, meaning that I should wait for the end of training.

There was no problem, he was a player who sometimes generated controversy when he spoke, and that is why his voice was important in the report he prepared.

By the way I was watching practice with a view to the game on the weekend. It was another time. Zero restrictions and mystery on the part of the technicians, who had no problem with the press seeing their work.

From the little boy, the players began to get ready to quickly play a match between starters and substitutes, by order of the coach Hector Quintabani (who was later coach of Atlético Nacional), due to the hint of rain that was already appearing on the sky.

What happened?

The water did not wait. From one moment to another, the sports complex began to suffer the blows of a gale that was accompanied by a heavy downpour. And although the afternoon darkened, the players continued their activity, despite the fact that the terrain was already difficult.

When the rain got heavier, from one moment to another thunder and lightning appeared that did not give time for anything. The field was ‘illuminated’ with each noise –it was like the flash of a camera–, and in the blink of an eye the unthinkable happened.

From the high part where I was, I saw that a ray of yellow light pierced “Carepa” –I have not been able to find another definition for this situation–, and I also observed that something heavy fell on his right boot, immediately releasing a small layer of black smoke, while the player collapsed.

The rest of the soccer players were also lying on the wet grass due to the hard impact that seconds before had been heard, and moments later some began to stand up, still stunned by the situation, while I observed that two of them, “Carepa” and Giovanni Córdoba, did not recover.

At that moment, chaos began. Everything was despair, drama, cries for help, races to one side and the other in search of help. The technician

Quintabani, his assistant Checho Angle, the physical trainer Hernando Arias, the doctor Jaime Albarracin and several players, including Jorge Lopez y charles castleThey went to help those who were still on the floor.

The soccer player from Antioquia was upside down, motionless and even his teammates came to try to revive him. In another sector Hernando Arias and several players did the same with Giovanni Córdoba, whom they lifted with difficulty, but from where I was standing I saw with concern how his head “danced” from one side to the other when they tried to stop him.

In the midst of that torrential downpour, many helped the two affected to climb to the top of the sports complex, while others tried unsuccessfully and desperately to urgently call for an ambulance. It never arrived because of the chaos that the city was experiencing with the storm that was falling in that area of ​​Cali.

The solution that was found was quick, with another daring decision, but effective: take them to the Lili Valley Clinic on the team bus, but going the wrong way down Avenida Cañasgordas because the lane to take was impossible due to the traffic jam.

An odyssey to try to save them

Someone I don’t remember, on a motorcycle, left in front of the bus with a rag, honking and asking for a lane where the cars were coming from the front. Behind the vehicle that transported all those affected, I left with my colleagues from the newspaper.

The route, being contravía, was done quickly. It was still raining and people, from their cars, watched in amazement as a bus made its way through the lane that was not theirs, without knowing what had happened minutes before.

we arrived by Emergencies at the Valle del Lili Clinic and the admission went smoothly because the stretcher bearers were already aware of the situation.

Very close to the access door to the Emergency Room I saw how the players entered quickly, and my pessimism was great when I once again observed “Carepa” Gaviria and the condition he presented.

I don’t know if irresponsibly or consistent with what I saw, I told one of my teammates that I didn’t think the player, with whom I had arranged to speak before training, could overcome that situation.

As the news became known, relatives of the players, managers, fans, journalists and onlookers arrived at the clinic.

The exterior of the Valle del Lili Emergency area was full of people; many asking for the health of the players, Cali fans chanting their names, and everyone, in general, waiting for a hopeful first medical report.

It was already night and the wait was long. With my bosses at the newspaper, we agreed that I should return to the workplace to write about what happened, and that another colleague should take over from me at the health center.

a fateful outcome

On the way to the newspaper many things went through my head: the pessimistic greeting from “Carepa” because he had arrived late for the appointment, the happy faces that were seen at the beginning of the training, the way the day was damaging in terms of the weather and how quickly the tragedy happened.

Upon arriving at the newspaper, the director and the other colleagues wanted to know first-hand how the events unfolded. After a short story I decided to go to the bathroom and I confess that there, alone, I silently cried for what had happened.

I sat down at the computer, but I didn’t know where to start, until after taking a breather and walking around the newsroom for a bit, I wrote the sad story that was published the next day.

While I was writing, the statement I did not want to hear came out of the clinic: the death of Herman Gaviria “due to the damage suffered after being struck by lightning. Meanwhile, the clinic reports that Giovanni Córdoba’s condition is very critical.

The news hit me very hard, as it also hit fans, managers and soccer people in general. A few days later, the death of Giovanni Córdoba was also confirmed, a player in whom Deportivo Cali had high hopes in the tournament.

It was undoubtedly a fateful afternoon, sad, hard, unexpected and painful. That October 24, 2002 was the day football cried.