Hecho Club Social, Argentina’s Homeless World Cup

"Thunderstorms. 100 per cent chance of heavy rain. Wind between 25 and 40 km per hour.”  That was the weather report for Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Thursday June 12, the day the World Cup started. 

But no storm or severe weather predictions could keep Rafa Sánchez and his teammates from arriving to a place in the world reserved just for them, a little section off the highway in Barracas, one of Buenos Aires’ oldest neighborhoods. Once populated with tanneries and factories, the area still has a grey tone to it, all low one-story houses and sheds. The LED TV the city government promised the Don Pepe Sports Center for the World Cup never arrived. Employing the odd trick, well-placed tip and the occasional prayer, the center managed  to instal an old TV, black and fat, lent to them by a neighbor. People gathered to watch the opening ceremony. Those working at the center vowed to be better organized for June 15, when Argentina had its 2014 World Cup debut against Bosnia-Herzegovina. On that day, the the weather report predicted sun.

The sports center enjoyed a crowd who had come to watch one of the biggest sporting events in the world, but, outside, others prepared for quite a different competition: The Homeless World Cup. Set up more than 10 years ago as part of a response to Argentina’s 2001 economic crisis, the initiative is run by an NGO that uses the popularity and unifying power of sport to promote access to health and education. Hecho en Bs As, a member of the International Network of Street Papers. reports on the cup, spreading information about its matches, players— and the lives they lead. The paper is sold by homeless people around Buenos Aires, providing a vital service and a job for many who were previously unemployed. Today, people from 70 different nations take part in the alternative Cup, meeting once a year at different locations across the globe. 

Hecho Club Social, Argentina’s homeless team, dress in the traditional white and blue. Men, women and children all take part. Many of them have been caught out by housing problems, or are migrants, refugees, or former drug addicts. Many are homeless and unemployed.

The team trains three times a week at the Don Pepe Sports Center, preparing for the 12th Homeless World Cup, which will be held in Chile this year. And the movement keeps growing, inspiring other alternative World Cups elsewhere. 

Rafa’s Story

Since childhood, Rafa Sánchez never really had a place to call home. But  he always had a pair of football boots. Now a member of Hecho Club Social, Rafa coordinates a workshop for young football players while pursuing a degree in sports business. Football is in his blood; his father, a texitle worker, was a pasionate football supporter and player and Rafa has inherited his love. Part inheritance, part collective unconscious, “the beautiful game” was always oxygen for Rafa. After all, this is the land of Messi and Maradona.

At age nine, he accompanied his father to the factory, working alongside him. At 12, he trained in masonry. In his family, being a good guy had nothing to do with finishing school, so he didn't. As an adult, he lived a somewhat nomadic life, moving from hotel to hotel and working in various jobs. It was only when Rafa joined a housing cooperative that he had anything resembling a home. Now 25, he says he is finally on the right track. "Football is a language,” he says to the younger members of the team. "If we are better people. we will become better players". 

Many of the Hecho Club Social feel a certain simpatico with Carlos Tevez, the Argentinian hero who was left out of this year’s World Cup squad. Like Tevez, they come from working class families. They’ve had hard lives and faced crushing social inequalities. Many of them have simply been denied the chance to make the most of their lives. "Most of our young players come from vulnerable communities”, says Sergio Rotman, director of the NGO Hecho Club Social.

Those helping to coordinate training for the competition are amazed by how the movement has evolved, and how disparate are the philosophies and approaches of each region or country who plays. “We try to think together about how each country comes to the competition. Why do they participate?” says Rotman. “We don’t think about winning, but about the experience itself. Being part of such a big event is good, it's good to be involved, and it’s a great honor and responsibility to carry our national flags.”

Football Fever: A Tool for Life

Rotman says he tries to get the most out of the FIFA World Cup, while at the same time trying to hide from the negative aspects of all the hype. "Argentinians look at every game with respect. We think that every team is to be feared. Well ... this isn’t unusual. But remember: Argentina reached the final with Brazil, and we beat them!". It’s estimated that one in three Argentines believe their team will win the championship, according to a survey by the Center for Public Opinion Research (CEOP).

Rafa Sanchez doesn’t speculate, but he watches the matches with intense interest. And he deciphers the teams’ strategies, in anticipation of his own games.

He knows very little about Iran, who Argentina will play on Saturday.  He remembers hearing something on the news. He doesn´t know much about their football team, but he knows how important the match in Belo Horizonte is.  He has some advice for the Iranian coach too: “The secret to the Argentinian team is that is has a special touch. Be careful: in a matter of seconds, the team will wake up and suddenly the whole game will change."

Some of the Hecho Club members have real talent and have played in lower division football. But because many have come from such tough backgrounds, they’ve often needed extra support, which is not part of traditional football clubs. Football clubs, after all, make money, and working with players as assets rather than individulas is commonplace, says Rotman. “This is the reason why we try to link our work with a sense of having a career. We emphasize that this has to be a springboard to open doors, complete studies, have a better job, better healthcare,” he says. They’re using football as a “fundamental tool” for life. 

When he considers Alejandro Sabella’s "elite team,” Rotman says he admires Rafael Javier Mascherano—"because he is always behind, watching, aware.” But when he talks about the game, Rotman has something else in mind. The Hecho Club looks at issues of acceptance, of knowing that in difficult situations in life, one faces victory, failure, and something resembling an uncertain draw too.  People should aim towards not feeling anger or resentment, Rotman says. “The only thing left is how to improve how you play.” The game is tiring, but we all must aim for more, he says. “And that’s the secret of how to find your way up.”