The La Montaña sports center, in the municipality of Los Realejos, seemed to be waiting for someone to take advantage of it for something more than sitting in the stands to eat pipes and have a soft drink. Also so that once and for all the abandonment suffered by the place would end.
It was an afternoon in June when some young people from the neighborhood who went there frequently to “kill time and disconnect from the frustrating situation we are experiencing”, came across a group of migrants from Mali and Senegal.
They did not know where they were from or in what exact place on the island they lived until a few days later, but at that first moment they saw them play with such passion that the footballing crush was immediate and they did not hesitate to leave their conversations and their soda cans to join kick the ball. “They put a desire, they left their lives in it, as if they were playing an official Champions League match,” says Marco Bethencourt.
Little by little and in just three months, the game afternoons forged a beautiful friendship that he and his friends (Neftalí Romero, Arin Rodríguez, Alejandro Hernández, Ulises Borges, Cristian Álvarez, Aitor Chinea and Cristian Dévora, among others) maintained until Today with 38 African minors who live in a reception center located in the La Luz neighborhood, in La Orotava, on the border with Los Realejos and who found in the sports complex a place to forget their sorrows and also kill time.
The enthusiasm that some and others put into this sport, without distinction of race or social condition, motivated them to decide to create the Unión Deportiva (UD) Futsal San Cayetano La Montaña -name they chose in honor of the patron of the neighborhood- which is waiting to federate to play this season.
Of the twelve that make it up, there are few who played football in a committed way, although they all did it for fun. Arin was “half life” in martial arts until an injury forced him to be two years without activity and “to be tested”, it was pointed out. When this opportunity arose with his friends, he did not hesitate.
“When we were more children, about ten years ago, we made a futsal team that later left and we stayed there,” says Neftalí. Now they are between 20 and 24 years old, some are studying, others are working while the rest are looking for a job in an economic situation that is not exactly easy, but they all share the same illusion: UD San Cayetano.
Help in record time
In record time they got a coach, a neighbor who, according to them, “has a lot of experience in soccer”, and the support of an entire neighborhood that has gone into full swing and started selling raffles that financed the bar that also bears the name of Santo to to be able to help the team with the initial expenses, which would be almost 70% of what the boys would need to start playing in September.
The equipment was donated on Thursday by the Milar company, a national chain that sells home appliances and new technologies that is located in the neighboring town of La Vera, but whose manager, José Juan García, is a native of La Montaña.
And he did it twice: one with the company’s corporate colors (lime green shirt, black pants and socks) and the secondary one, chosen by the boys, (white pants and wine-colored shirt and socks), as well as a backpack for Every player.
Kick start
The “culprit” of all this movement is Vicky Febles, in charge of the Facebook page ‘Vivo en La Montaña’, which unintentionally was the one that kicked off the aid when on June 5 she published a photo of the young realejeros and Africans with the comment: “A beautiful picture to be very proud of the young people of our neighborhood!” and told what happened.
“Every day you see them all playing together and he has given life to the cop. And it’s wonderful, but they don’t want it to stop there, taking advantage of the pull of playing together, the kids in the neighborhood want to take this to another level, and they want to make a futsal team, so from here we are going to do everything possible. so that they get it, and maybe later that soon there may be a San Cayetano Futsal team ”.
In that same post, he asked the followers to collaborate to get balls, black sports pants of different sizes, indoor soccer shoes, basketballs, sports socks, colored bibs and goalkeeper gloves.
Vicky’s help and word of mouth from the neighbors made more and more people join in and the entire neighborhood got involved with the team.
They train three times a week but sometimes they do it at the La Zamora sports center, because the venue has better conditions than La Montaña. “We hope they fix it,” all agree.
“We had the illusion since then and now we have a great opportunity to start from scratch,” emphasizes Neftalí.
The papers, a problem
The only problem is that their Malian and Senegalese friends, all minors as they were assured, will not be able to join as initially thought due to bureaucratic reasons. To federate they need the papers that clarify their situation and allow them to be in Spain and they are still waiting for them to arrive from Madrid “and they take time”, Ulises points out.
“Some have already achieved them but they are provisional,” says Cristian, who, like the rest, also knows that there is the possibility that some may have to leave the country.
They struck up a friendship that they never waited for, to the point that they speak permanently with them via wazap because they understand Spanish “perfectly”.
They confess that they cannot help but get excited when they hear their stories. “When you listen to them, you are aware of what you have”, underlines Neftalí, who says that “it is true that they are better than in their countries but some of them thought that the Canary Islands were paradise.” The reality that they live daily showed them that it does not exist.
With the exception of Arín, who worked on the Santa Cruz trail, “where people go to find their lives,” none of the team had had such close contact with young migrants.
If they can finally participate this season in the league and win, the members of UD San Cayetano are clear that the victory will be dedicated to their African friends. “It was they who motivated us to start and who have given life to the entire neighborhood,” they underline.
Also those responsible for making them see that there is an ‘other’ football, away from prejudices, economic interests and headlines on the front page, but that unites, strengthens ties and is the engine of social integration, respect, tolerance and education in values.
