Every four years, the world's attention turns to the spectacle that is the World Cup. Rivalries can be fierce as countries vie for the most coveted prize in international sports. For the most part, the action stays on the pitch. But not always. In 1969, long-simmering tensions between Honduras and El Salvador, which were competing for a slot in the 1970 World Cup to be held in Mexico, erupted in open hostilities called the “La Guerra del Futbol.” There was fighting between fans at the first game in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa on June 8, which Honduras won 1–0. The second game, on June 15 in the Salvadoran capital of San Salvador, was won 3–0 by El Salvador; even more violence followed. A play-off match took place in Mexico City on June 26, which El Salvador won 3–2 after extra time. That same day, El Salvador dissolved all diplomatic ties with Honduras, stating that “the government of Honduras has not taken any effective measures to punish these crimes which constitute genocide, nor has it given assurances of indemnification or reparations for the damages caused to Salvadorans.”
The Salvadoran Air Force then attacked targets inside Honduras on July 14, which caught the better equipped Honduran air force off guard. The larger Salvadoran army then invaded Honduras. The Organization of American States (OAS) called for a ceasefire; on July 18, after four days of fighting, the “100 hours war” had ended. El Salvador withdrew its troops August 2; however, the brief hostilities resulted in over 2,000 casualties on each side, with some 300,000 Salvadorans displaced, many returning to their home country beaten and brutalized.
Jack R. Binns worked at the U.S. Embassy in Honduras at the time. Edward M. Rowell, a political advisor in Honduras at the time, explains the reality of the mob effect on the two nations and their soccer fans. Robert S. Steven, who worked for the Third Party Nationals program, discusses the lack of importance that the U.S. placed on the “Soccer Wars.” They were all interviewed by Charles Stuart Kennedy beginning in July 1990, September 1995, and August 2001 respectively. You can also see this brief footage on the war on YouTube: El Salvador – Honduras 1969 Football War.
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