Post by Noureddine Bakkali

In August, Karl Dhont and I had a dinner. Which led to a crazy idea. Neither of us had ever produced a documentary. What followed was 10 months of figuring it out as we went: finding the right partner (The National Lottery), an incredible crew (Watertower TV Productions), enthusiastic broadcasters (VRT & RTBF), flying to Mexico, and somehow getting Dany Veyt, Georges Grün and Leo Van der Elst back to the place they helped build 40 years ago. These were the childhood heroes of an entire generation. Turns out they’re even better people than the players they were. The result: a 36-minute documentary about CASA HOGAR, the home for street children founded by the Belgian Red Devils during the 1986 FIFA World Cup. 40 years later, it’s still standing. Still changing lives. Still run by the Martinez family, with the support of people in Belgium who never forgot. We went back to hear those stories. From the alumni who built their own lives. From Maria-Teresa, Alejandra, and the tías who show up every single day. If we did this right, this documentary isn’t a retrospective. It’s the start of the next 40 years. Thank you to Tom Van Cleynenbreugel, Steven Van Roy and Gilles Simonet for carrying this with such care. And to The National Lottery , VRT & RTBF for believing in two guys who had no idea how to make a documentary — but knew exactly what they wanted to achieve and why it mattered. 📺 June 10 — VRT 1 and Tipik. Afterwards on VRT MAX and Auvio. www.casahogar.be if the story moves you. Thanks: Jurgen Switsers Theo Lietaer Loes Mispoulier Jannie Haek Babs Bautmans Olivier Alsteens Benoit Delhauteur David Steegen bart coeman Philippe Malburny, Benjamin Deceuninck. 🙏🏻 Alejandra, Maria-Teresa, Georges Grün, Dany Veyt and Leo Van der Elst.

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