The History of~The Soccer War

Now, I am no fan of the sport Soccer (or Football going how it's known internationally), because it's basically a sport where you use just your feet to kick a ball. But perhaps what I don't like about it more is that the fans.....can get a bit crazy. In fact, so crazy the Soccer fans get, they can actually go to war, and that is exactly what happened in the summer of 1969 in the Central American nations of *El Salvador* and *Honduras* (not exactly the best days of the lives in those nations). And this is what this page will try to cover, it's known simply as *The Soccer War* (or *The Football War* how it's known internationally)

## Prelude to War

As Stated before, Honduras and El Salvador are nations in Central America where many sports are played such as Baseball and Soccer. Honduras is (obviously) bigger in area, but by the 1960's El Salvador had a bigger population with 3.7 million people as opposed to Honduras' 2.6 million.

El Salvador's overpopulation problem began to mount in the 1960's and Salvadoran farmers began to migrate to Honduras (sound familiar?). However, this concerned Honduran farmers as they began to see Salvadoran farmers on their lands.

This has also compelled Honduran dictator: *General Oswaldo Lopez Arellano* to form the *Land Reform Act* in 1962 where the Honduran government was allowed to take away land from Salvadoran immigrants and given to native Hondurans.

This would create tensions between Honduran and Salvadoran farmers in Honduras, and by 1967 when Honduras began to enforce the Land Reform Act, this also lead to the maltreatment of Salvadoran immigrants living in Honduras. In some cases, Salvadorans were murdered had their homes and shops burned or even chased back to El Salvador.

In El Salvador, protests rise due to the news of the mal-treatment of Salvadorans in Honduras. Of course, Honduras turned a deaf ear.

## The Soccer Games

Fast forward to 1969. The 2 nations are now playing 1 of 3 soccer games that would take place in June as both nations are competing for a playing spot in the 1970 World Cup which would take place in Mexico City. Game 1 (on June 8) took place on Honduras' capital of *Tegucigalpa*. It was a hard played game, but Honduras would win the game in overtime.

The Salvadoran soccer fans didn't really like this one bit. But the Honduran fans wouldn't allow them to vent their frustration as acts of brutal violence were committed on the Salvadorans living in Honduras.

Around a week later (June 15), the second game would take place in El Salvador's capital of *San Salvador*. But as the Honduran soccer team arrived in San Salvador, they were greeted by disgruntled and angry Salvadorans who harassed the hotel the Honduran team were staying at. The Salvadorans would riot all night outside the hotel and as a result the Honduran soccer team got little to no sleep.

Right before the game, the Salvadorans would opt to raise a dirty, ratty white cloth in place of the Honduran flag out of protest. But it wouldn't matter as the still groggy Honduran team would lose easily to the Salvadoran hosts in game 2.

But this is where the violence escalated between the 2 nations. Salvadorans would brutally attack the Honduran soccer fans in San Salvador who came to root for their team. Back in Honduras, the people there reacted to the violence in San Salvador where the Hondurans would take the violence against Salvadoran immigrants to another level, as they would go as far as murder Salvadoran immigrants and even burn up stores and homes of Salvadoran immigrants.

The Honduran Government also expelled Salvadorans from Honduras and it got up to where daily around 150,000 Salvadorans were expelled.

On June 26, the third and final game would take place on neutral grounds (in Mexico City). It was another hard played game, but El Salvador would win the game in extra time.

The very next day, El Salvador's ruler: *Fidel Sanchez Hernandez* announces that he'll end all diplomatic relations with Honduras.

This would further increase tensions between the 2 nations until on July 14, the situation would reach the boiling point.

## The Soccer War

On July 14, the Salvadoran airforce would bomb Honduras' main airport: *Toncontin* which would hurt the reaction time of Honduras' own airforce.

The next day (July 15) El Salvador launched a ground assault, quickly overwhelming the Honduran army (since it was out numbered)

The next day (July 16) Honduras' own airforce went airborne and began to run bombing campaigns of their own. First they took out El Salvador's airport of *Ilopango*, and the port of *Acajulta* to cut off El Salvador's supply of oil.

Despite Honduras' best efforts to cripple El Salvador's military, El Salvador was beginning to threaten to invade Tegucigalpa.

This is when Honduras appealed to a special peace organization called the *Organization of American States*. Honduras hopes that the OAS would say something to El Salvador.

The OAS decided to intervene, and with the threat of economic sanctions, El Salvador agreed to end all fighting against Honduras. A cease fire was agreed upon, but it would take several more weeks (until August 2) for El Salvador's military to completely withdraw from Honduras.

## The Aftermath

It wasn't until 1980 when the 2 nations officially agreed to a peace treaty.

But even with a peace treaty, this didn't stop the maltreatment and brutality on Salvadoran immigrants in Honduras, some Salvadorans left Honduras (never to return), nor does the 2 nations have really buried the hatchet. As recently as March 1, 2013 the 2 nations exchanged theatening letters of military action. Could El Salvador and Honduras be at each other's throats again? Only time will tell.

Well, that does it for this page. Don't forget to check out my Games and Movies wikis as well. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.