Emotional review of the nine days of a children’s soccer tournament that went beyond a tribute to Juan Ramón Verón, a return to the essence, to solidarity, to emotion. The biggest prize, the finalists got to play on the grass of the greats, in 1 and 57
“We belong to a class that is becoming extinct, those of us who have worked for years in the Children’s Leagues.” The word of Oscar Arena77 years old, founder of the Aeropuerto club, felt the tickling of the hands that the authorities of the Estudiantes Club, those of children’s football, shook him, the romantic amateurism that had one of the most fantastic stories in the Verón Cup, but not written by a novelist, but by themselves, those who feel football, the one that makes them levitate.
Much more so if that football is played on the grass of the UNO Stadium. The little ones from eight to eleven years old arrived there. Near “Cacho” Arena, coach of a 2017 neighborhood finalist, you can hear Aldo Podesta: “For everyone who was able to be here it was an unforgettable moment, for them and for ours who had not had such a chance either.”
Whoever saw the ball roll that night, saw what children are like… And discovered the well-understood madness of adults, when summer was already leaving, under a sky that seemed to be infected with joy. Maybe he heard someone shout from an armchair. Marcelo Fernandezwho invited his little boys to respond out loud. “Who’s playing today…?”, and the eardrum-shattering chorus will return the shorter name of a club, but perhaps with more experience in the area… CRIM! He Magdalena Children’s Recreation Centersame as where it came from Guido Carrillothe most applauded every time the Pincha formation is announced. And, according to what they told this journalist, he is aware of what happened with the Verón Cup and that his CRIM won one of the two championships. The night you will never forget Benjamin FernandezCRIM Naranja’s goalkeeper, who received the award for the least defeated fence in 2015. It seemed like a dream, but they ended up beating Estudiantes themselves. beautiful smiles of Liliana Ghilini —the coach’s wife— who gave him tips on how to move his limbs before playing.
And over there, the voice of the teacher Alberto Mendezwho saw grow Carrilloa Pellegrini already Apaolazaand recites from the heart… “That Guido, Mati and Pancho are good people should make us proud.” It’s the only truth, Alberto. Although what we are seeing is still impressive, in 2015 climbing the podium and receiving the Verón Cup, an incomparable football poster.
Another day of fantasy, but with the kids in the land (of the champions) was the one they spent Bastian Olivareswho plays for Filial Lauri and was chosen as the best player in the 2015 category. The distinctions in the 2017 tournament went to Salvador TabernaverryEstudiantes —best player— and Loan QuirogaStudents—less defeated fence.
There was a social touch in this Cup and it was given by the Foundation, with its undoubted seriousness gained since the days of the construction of this modern stage. They thought it would be better to “rotate” the venues and not concentrate solely on the club. «Divide the city into geographical zones so that they could organize it on their fields. What remained was a kind of World Cup, and mainly, the aforementioned fraternity was generated with actions on the part of the Estudiantes Club towards the clubs,» he says. Jose Salanitro. At your side, Juan Cimalando -director of the Foundation- added that «we have been working for a year and a half with a program that assists neighborhood clubs, making donations and training. When the Board of Directors informed us about the return of the Verón Cup, we gave our opinion. And the reality, which is super complicated for the economic sustainability of neighborhood clubs, gave us two social components to add to the tournament. One of them was to organize the group phase on the fields of the participants (seventeen of the twenty-two), where they were able to raise funds. money for entry, buffet and parking, while Estudiantes took care of the costs of the referees and scorekeepers.”
They organized fifteen social talks: on violence prevention, for referees and parents; oral health days (they came out of playing and a dentist taught the correct method and gave them the toothbrush as a gift), they finished playing and back in the locker room they found a school supplies kit. Gifts. Gestures. moments. And none as special as the inclusion they achieved with children with down syndrome, thus allowing the warm-up to be an unforgettable moment.
One of the greatest satisfactions was hearing from the organizers that the finalists were going to be on the playing field where they shine today. Muslera, Amondarain, Tomás and Thiago Palacios, Carrillo, Cetré and company. “Beyond the results, the final day reflected the spirit with which this edition was conceived: a climate of celebration, camaraderie and respect, with good behavior of the families who accompanied in large numbers,” the institution founded in 1905 closed the report on the internet.
DETAILS OF THE TENTH EDITION
The last time the Verón Cup was held was before the pandemic, until the tenth edition also served as qualification. All good, with ingenuity and new friends. Each date had different locations, and here is the summary of each qualifying group. Zone A: Neighborhood Union (229 bis and 54, Angel Etecheverry)the local team, El Indio, Unidos de Olmos, Escuela de Varela played). Zone B, in CRIM (calle Dr. Benan)CRIM Blanco, CRIM Naranja, Sport Club and Verónica participated. Zone C: Romerense (517 between 167 and 168)Toronto, La Plata FC, Romerense and San Juan Bautista competed. Zone D: Argentine Youth (460 and 18, City Bell)Juve, the Beto Avalos Association, UYFFI and Estudiantes LP took the field. Zone E: Unidos del Dique (125 and 43, Ensenada)the local Unidos, Comodoro Rivadavia, Catella and Ringuelet performed. Zone F: May 5 (Quintana and Uruguay Street, Ensenada) with 5 de Mayo, La Curva, Saladero and Miguel Lauri Branch. Zone G: El Carmen (38 and 128, Berisso)with El Carmen, Inter, CF Los Hornos (LAPF) and Aeropuerto. Zone H: CF Los Hornos de LISFI (143 and 65, Los Hornos)with Fomento, Estudiantes LH, Fretes and Círculo Unidos. Zone I: Río de La Plata, 5 de Mayo Gris and Catella Blanco.
It was launched on 2/21, the 2nd Date was on the 23rd and the 3rd on the 25th. The 16th Final on the 28th, in Brandsen’s Indianand an instance of Pre 8th Final” on 2/3 in Catella. Afterwards, the ball went to the four courts assigned in the Country: Round of 16 4/3, Quarterfinals 6/3 and Semifinal 8/3. It should be noted that each boy received a reminder diploma for his participation. Each category had eleven boys in total… Could it be because of the number the Witch used?
THE 57TH STREET LED SIGN THAT ANNOUNCES…
The finals at UNO, with free entry. The immense grass drew two little fields, the size of children, seven boys on each side. The contingents met on the beach that is on the corner of 115 and 55, near the locker rooms, and first they paraded, walking around until they took comfortable positions in the stalls, waiting for their turns. At 7 p.m., the first two finals. 2015 Beto Avalos – Filial Lauri (Silver Cup final match), 2017 Ringuelet – Veronica (Silver Cup Final); and at 8 p.m., 2017 LP Students – CRIM Orange (Gold Final) and 2015 LP Students – Airport (Silver Final). The brightness of the moment took away the importance of the luminosity of the poster itself.
Appeared Leandro Benitez“El Chino”, the champion of the 2009 Libertadores, from Berissense of upbringing just like Juan Ramon Veron“the witch riding the broom” (as it was sung in her crack years, the number 11 of the three-time continental champion team). “I watched the finals for a while,” says Benítez, empathetic with each child who stood on the podium to receive a prize donated by Matheu Sports.
One looks, listens, takes notes for the sauce of sports journalism. A kid from CRIM is the grandnephew of “Pancho” Apaolaza (crack that played the 1st DJ and today plays in Guatemala). And people’s radar tells us that a nephew of “Luly” Aued (former Gimnasia player and champion with Racing in 2014, today coach of the academic reserve), the son of his brother Germán.
The children buy into the character of the soccer player, crossing themselves before entering the field, touching the grass and greeting the family in the stands.
At the end of a match, the demand of “profe…profe… and the alfajores that you told us you were going to distribute?” That teacher of Verónica could not sleep for joy and slept that night with the emotion of a movie scene: «Seeing a boy kneel and look at the sky on the Estudiantes field is going to stay with me forever. The experience was huge for both the kids and us. The kids had fun and we accidentally reached the final.»
That “silver” Veronica has these protagonists: Felipe Sirk, Bautista Enrique, Felipe Savoiardo, Fran Olivera, Juan García, Bautista Eguiza, Luciano Marconi, Baltazar González, Valentín Velazquez, Faustino Ponce, Ian Guillermo and the four managers Jorge Yzurieta, Andrés Yzurieta, Braian Velasquez y Tomas Perez.
The finals show continued. With the pennant shield, but based in Berisso, another cry was that of the Miguel Angel Lauri Branch (founded in Berisso in 1993). The little ones Francisco Peralta, Tiziano Ledesma, Simón Ibarra, Joaquín Martínez, Bastian Olivares, Juan Sebastián Montenegro, Lionel Méndez, Gerónimo Sosa and Gael Aued y go Dt’s Fabián Novik, Daniel Saltarelli y Juan Cruz Ochandorena.
Airport demonstrated its school of so many years. The purslanes arrived in a surprising way to the last day, with the ’15 in the Semi and the 2017 in the Gold final. «Playing inside the Stadium was unforgettable, we lost by two goals over the hour with Pincha but it’s nothing. Look, we are used to playing in the Country, for LIFIPA, but in this case it was another setting and we couldn’t believe it… Just the mere fact of bearing the name of the Witch Juan Ramón Verón, one feels emotion… “We told the kids who it was…” says Arena. Everyone agrees that it was a great initiative by the Foundation to think about the clubs and give up the home field. One never ceases to be amazed by the 4 bis and 611 court that makes Aeropuerto shine and is one of the examples that so many neighborhood clubs give. We saw a security camera, illuminated training fields and, as it turned out, they are preparing for an eleven field.
The Foundation was in charge of the awards. He The final count gave important money that was useful for the clubs that had been punished by a summer without football. Students of Los Hornoswho needed a refrigerator for the buffet, was able to purchase it. Others who started without sports equipment also cheered. Two clubs, including Saladerowill soon have a sign on their entrance gates with the inscription in Braille; one more way to achieve noble equality, as the hymn says.
The smile, the master key that opens doors. There was no room to feel left out, everyone was one in the Verón Cup. Suddenly, from the LED screen that is at the top of the 57th grandstand (one of the most clearly defined in all of Argentina) the champions are announced. There is a speaker and a ritual that resembles so many nights of consecrations.
Foundation volunteers place the medals on the children’s happy chests. . A different, fantasy Monday, as if it had been scripted by a novelist. Pepe holds back his excitement when he sees his daughter Dolphin smiling. And he says: “I had something wonderful, getting family members, players and coaches onto the field and giving them a message of respect, the rules of coexistence and respect for the opponent.”
It was easy to dribble around the question, “how did the game go?” It can be ignored when faced with such days. Everyone wins, we win and we can say that tomorrow will be better.
“There were no previous editions of the Verón Cup in UNO, and we hope there will be later ones,” defines Podesta, that boy from the youth teams, who Juan Ramón Verón directed and who saw him become a man, a father and then a leader.
An experience of ten is over… the number that qualifies. Can you imagine what the 11th will be like…?
They are already crazy with joy, crazy in a good way, young and old. They are like that. This is how they live and play. Or not?
Watch the video online! 👇
