In 1981 he left his native Burgos and settled in Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. In the same year he organized a football championship at youth level open to all and free of charge. It was a revolution. Hundreds of young people came from all the neighbouring districts. The championship became a legend. This year, one hundred teams and 1,600 children are participating in the biggest championship for boys aged nine to fifteen. The tournament is played on the football field of the Don Bosco School. All ethnic groups and social classes of the city mingle. If you ask around the streets of Goma, many will stick out their chest with pride and say: "I used to play in Honorato’s championship."
Honorato is not interested in football but he is interested in its power to attract. "Sport has a great influence on children and young people, so I use it for the transmission of values such as teamwork, punctuality, respect for the referee and the opponent and dealing with frustration".
One hundred teams and 1,600 kids compete in a league that has as its main objective to educate. Every Sunday, the field is divided into six rectangles. Honorato distributes balls and outfits for the teams that must be returned at the end of the game, and at the sound of his whistle the games start, six at a time.
"We do not have many resources” he says, “so we give the same trophy every year and some of the outfits go back ten years or more." But the enthusiasm with which the children play is contagious.
Source: La Vanguardia
