El Chota, May 13: El Chota is a small valley some 190km north of
Ecuador's capital Quito. Its high temperatures and arid
land make life tough for its 30,000 inhabitants whose lives
are marked by extreme poverty.
But the dust and dirt of El Chota has produced
something to give pride and hope to its people. For this is
the birthplace of Ecuador's footballing crème de la creme,
home to players like Agustin Delgado, Giovanni Espinosa,
Ulises De La Cruz and the now legendary Edison Mendez, who
scored the winning goal against Croatia in Japan during the
2002 World Cup.
His sister Sonia is proud of her brother's
achievements. And she says footballers like Edison have
brought a new hope to those who have lived through
difficult times in this poor region.
"As a family we feel proud and we always support him,
not just him but all the boys who belong to the valley. And
not just us as a family but the entire community, because
they have given us a lot of joy," she said.
Seven of the players on Ecuador's World Cup team in
2002 hail from this small valley which has seen many of its
sons leave for the capital city for a way out of poverty.
But football has provided new possibilities for families in
El Chota, and many are now pinning their hopes on their
sons, hoping that talent on the soccer pitch can help them
rise above their humble origins.
The Agustin Delgado Foundation has 150 young players
who meet daily on a dusty pitch to practice with trainers
and afterwards receive food and vitamin or energy drinks.
Almost a dozen of the adolescents who started training at
the Foundation have now been hired by minor football
leagues and hope to be the next players wearing Ecuador's
national strip.
Josefina Espinosa brings her son to training on a
regular basis. In an area mainly populated by black people,
she sees it as the only way for her people to leave their
poverty behind.
"It is the only way that the black people can get on.
The parents of footballers can get on well economically,
and the footballers more than anyone, and the race gets on
when a son is a footballer," she explained.
Lenin Barahona's son is another of the football
hopefuls who trains hard in this small valley in the hopes
that he can help his family and his people with his talent.
For Barahona, football has brought many positive things to
his valley and its poor inhabitants.
"Some of them got out of here, it took them out of
poverty, it raised their family up and they had a lot, they
helped many," he said. And as World Cup fever takes hold of
this small South American nation, Barahona dreams of one
day seeing his son do his country proud.
"Yes, I dream of seeing my son some day in the World
Cup, I hope he is a champion in the national team," he
said. His son Ronald shares the same dream. "I would like
to be a footballer to play in the World Cup," he said.
While the men of El Chota work harvesting sugar cane,
practically all of them dedicate their free time to
football. The children start training formally or
informally at five or six years old. And the girls have
also shown talent with a football.
As a result, many of the town's young players aspire to
following in the footsteps of their local heroes. When
asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Juan Delgado
has only two options. "A footballer. Or a policeman."
Jonathan Chala, another aspiring player, says he wants to
become a professional in order to be able to help his
people. "To be able to help the poor kids and my family,"
he said.
For Pedro Delgado, brother of Agustin and Vice
President of the Agustin Delgado Foundation, the country's
sporting success has resulted in a whole new attitude from
those who are suddenly seeing soccer as a way out of
poverty.
"Before, I didn't think that teams from Ecuador could
qualify, but in the end many did, and now people don't just
see it as exercise, but as a profession," he said.
El Chota has great expectations for its boys, young and
old come June when the world Cup kicks off in Germany. The
dream of one day becoming a professional footballer
provides some relief from the extreme poverty, and with
Ecuador getting ready for another World Cup this year, the
country's pride is evident.
And nowhere more so than in the El Chota valley, where
so many star players originated. For the children, these
men are heroes. For El Chota, they are homegrown
celebrities, and the promise of a future far from the
poverty the region is steeped in.
Ecuador faces hosts Germany, Costa Rica and Poland in
its first round of this year's World Cup in Germany, with
the first match against Poland kicking off on June 9.
Bureau Report