home / Relationship/ Losing a football match led to war. Football war

Losing a football match led to war. Football war

BREAD AND COFFEE

The problem, however, was that El Salvador, with one and a half times as many inhabitants as Honduras, occupied almost five times less territory. Fleeing from the “land famine,” Salvadoran peasants voluntarily moved to Honduras, since the border between the two countries existed only on the map, occupied empty plots here and began to cultivate them, without having any documents for the right to own them.

For the time being, the Honduran authorities did not pose any obvious obstacles to this movement. But when the number of illegal immigrants reached several hundred thousand, irritation began to grow in Honduran society. When the Salvadoran migrants began to settle in the cities, taking over, in particular, almost the entire shoe trade, discontent among the natives began to manifest itself in increasingly sharp forms. And it had to happen that during this period the sports lot would bring together two irreconcilable rivals in the semi-finals of the qualifying games for the upcoming Mexico City 70 World Cup - the teams of these very republics, El Salvador and Honduras!

QUALIFYING GAMES

According to the regulations, the first match took place on June 8, 1969 in the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa. Crowds of fans from El Salvador came to the game. Many seats in the stands were occupied by displaced people, who, naturally, also supported their own. The match ended in victory for the hosts with a minimum score of 1:0. A rumor immediately spread that one of the Salvadoran fans had shot herself, declaring that “she could not bear such shame.” Passions ran high, and a wave of fights and riots swept through the city.

A week later, on June 15, the return match took place in the capital of El Salvador, San Salvador. This time the victory went to the Salvadorans, and with a much more impressive result - 3:0. The Salvadoran fans must have beaten the Honduran players and coaches after the match due to an overabundance of emotions.

The Honduran press, dissatisfied with both the disappointing defeat and the reception given, launched a real information war against southern neighbor Radio Honduras reported that the rivals had desecrated the Honduran flag and anthem. Seething passions spilled over the edge (shopozz.ru). Honduran fans, in a nationalistic frenzy, attacked the barracks where hired workers from El Salvador lived. More than a hundred people were killed in the bloody battle that ensued. The consular missions of El Salvador were subjected to pogrom, and their employees were severely beaten.

But the main events were yet to come. According to the approved regulations, the rivals had to play one more match on a neutral field - in the Mexican capital of Mexico City. The game took place on June 27. Crowds of excited fans from both republics arrived in Mexico City to support their own. As luck would have it, the game was nervous. The first half was left to the Honduran athletes, who led with a score of 2:1. But then the Salvadorans scored a second goal, and in extra time they snatched victory with a total result of 3:2. That day, the Mexican police had their hands full until the evening, with scuffles breaking out here and there between groups of heated fans.

Shortly after the match, Honduras announced the severance of diplomatic relations with El Salvador. But the flywheel of the conflict has only just begun to unwind. The very next day, Honduran authorities began clearing illegal immigrants from their farmland, deporting them back to El Salvador. In Tegucigalpa and other cities, local ultra-patriots destroyed shops and stores owned by people from the neighboring republic. Crowds of refugees poured into El Salvador, fueling militant sentiment there as well. A muddy wave of mutual accusations and insults arose in the press of both countries. An already fragile world hangs by a thread...

BATTLES ON GROUND AND IN THE SKY

On July 14, Salvadoran troops, under the pretext of protecting their citizens, crossed the border with Honduras and by the evening of the next day they had advanced eight kilometers, capturing, in particular, administrative center department of Nuevo, the city of Octotepec, where a military governor was appointed.

The Salvadoran army, relatively well equipped and trained, numbered 11 thousand people in its ranks, while Honduras could field no more than 6 thousand fighters armed with small arms of the 20-30s model. But Honduras had undeniable superiority in aviation. True, both sides had only American propeller-driven aircraft with piston engines from the Second World War - Mustangs, Corsairs, Trojans, as well as Douglas bombers converted into bombers.

But Honduras aviation technology was maintained in exemplary order, and also had a fully staffed flight crew trained by American instructors. El Salvador, of his 37 dilapidated planes, managed to fly only half into the sky, and even for those they managed to find pilots with great difficulty. The El Salvadoran air force was in such poor condition that, for example, bomber crews had to manually drop bombs through a porthole or an open door. Nevertheless, the blue, cloudless sky over Central America became a silent witness to the last air battles on the planet involving piston fighters.

Soon, Honduran aviation gained complete air supremacy, although its appearance over enemy positions had, rather, a purely psychological effect. The hero of the war was a Honduran major who damaged three enemy planes, which, however, managed to reach their airfields. Tanks and artillery also took part in the battles on both sides.

The Permanent Council of the OAS, the Organization of American States, took charge of resolving the armed conflict.

They say that when US President Richard Nixon was informed about the start of the “football war,” he did not believe it, believing that he was being played. However, having become convinced of the seriousness of what was happening, he gave the order to put pressure on the governments of both states along the diplomatic line. But this didn’t help either! The situation got out of control. Football passions gave rise to the rampage of an unprecedented element, which could not be calmed by any arguments of reason! Then Nixon instructed his intelligence services to urgently cut off all channels for the supply of fuel and spare parts for military equipment conflicting parties. It was only when tanks with empty tanks froze in their positions in the tropical forest, and piston-powered fighters and bombers froze on airfields, that the energy of this amazing conflict began to decline.

Only in early August did El Salvador begin to withdraw its troops from the occupied territories. But isolated armed clashes on the border continued until the spring of 1972. According to official data alone, the “football war” claimed the lives of more than three thousand people, and another six thousand were injured. Up to 130 thousand Salvadorans were forced to flee Honduras. The economies of both countries suffered catastrophic losses. Cultural and other ties were severed for a long time.

The country firmly ranks first among all Central American countries in terms of banana plantation area.

The national team of El Salvador nevertheless achieved the right to compete at the World Championships, where it ended up in the same group with the teams of Mexico, Belgium and Soviet Union. The Salvadorans lost to everyone, including the USSR national team with a score of 2:0, and, having taken last place in their group, went home. The question is: what were they fighting for?

Six-day "football" war. Why did it start?

« Football war", a name that went down in history armed conflict between El Salvador and Honduras in the period from July 14 to July 21, 1969, caused by contradictions between these countries and unleashed by the ruling circles of El Salvador, as well as the clash of interests of various US monopolies in Central America. The pretext for the “Football War” was the rupture of diplomacy between Honduras and El Salvador on June 26 due to incidents at the stadium during national meetings. teams of these countries competing for the right to participate in the World Cup. The “football war” began on July 14 with the invasion of El Salvador troops into Honduras. In 4 days, Salvadoran troops advanced 60 km deep into Honduras, capturing the area of the square. up to 400 km2. After the intervention of the Organization of American State (OA) on July 18, the offensive of the Salvadoran troops was stopped. By July 21 fighting stopped. In early August, El Salvador withdrew its troops from the occupied territory. Honduras. Isolated skirmishes on the border continued until the spring of 1970. During the fighting and then the persecution of Salvadorans living in Honduras and Hondurans in El Salvador, up to 3 thousand people died. The “football war” was clear evidence of the actions that US monopolies repeatedly resort to to strengthen their dominance in countries dependent on them. The immediate cause of the war was a long-standing dispute between the two countries regarding the exact location of certain sections of their common border. Honduras was also greatly irritated by the significant trade advantages granted to the more developed Salvadoran economy under the rules of the Central American Common Market. Both countries experienced significant economic difficulties, both were ruled by the military; both governments sought to divert the population's attention from pressing domestic political and economic problems.
El Salvador, being the smallest and most populous of all Central American states, had a more developed economy, but experienced an acute shortage of cultivable land. Much of the land in El Salvador was controlled by large landowners, leading to a "land famine" and the migration of landless peasants to neighboring Honduras.

On the eve of the war
The incident that sparked open hostilities and gave the war its name took place in San Salvador in June 1969. Within a month, the football teams of the two countries had to play three matches to reach the final part of the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Riots also occurred during the first match in Tegucigalpa, but during the second match in San Salvador they reached alarming proportions. In El Salvador, Honduran football players and fans were beaten, Honduran flags were burned; A retaliatory wave of attacks against Salvadorans, including two vice-consuls, swept across Honduras. An unknown number of Salvadorans died or were injured in the attacks, and tens of thousands fled the country. Emotions ran high, and real hysteria arose in the press of both countries. On June 27, 1969, Honduras broke off diplomatic relations with El Salvador.

July 14 Salvadoran armed forces began concerted military action against Honduras.

Consequences of the war
In fact, both sides lost the war. Between 60,000 and 130,000 Salvadorans were expelled or fled Honduras, leading to economic collapse in some areas. The conflict killed about 2,000 people, mostly civilians. Bilateral trade came to a complete halt and the border was closed, crippling both economies and turning the Central American Common Market into an organization that exists only on paper.
The political influence of the military in both countries increased after the war.

Football war- a short-lived military conflict between El Salvador and Honduras, which lasted 6 days (from July 14 to July 20, 1969). According to international media mass media, the immediate cause of the war was the loss of the Honduras team to the El Salvador team in the playoff matches of the qualifying stage of the World Cup, which explains the name given to the conflict.

Despite its transience, the conflict was costly for both sides; total losses were about 2,000 people; according to other sources, 6,000 people died. The football war buried the regional integration project of the Central American Common Market. A peace treaty between the countries was signed only 10 years after the end of the war.

Background and causes of the Football War

The immediate cause of the war was a long-standing dispute between the two countries regarding the exact location of certain sections of their common border. Honduras was also greatly irritated by the significant trade advantages granted to the more developed Salvadoran economy under the rules of the Central American Common Market. Both countries experienced significant economic difficulties, both were ruled by the military; both governments sought to divert the population's attention from pressing domestic political and economic problems.

Honduras is much larger in territory than its neighbor, not so densely populated and less developed economically. By 1969, more than 300 thousand Salvadorans had moved to Honduras in search of free land and income. Many had already lived in the country for many years by that time. Most migrants entered the country illegally, seizing empty land and starting to cultivate it; such squatters had no rights to the land other than their physical presence on it.

For Honduras, the land issue in itself was not of great importance; however, the prospect of Salvadoran dominance in the economy caused great irritation in society. During the 1960s, the rules of the Central American Common Market favored economies with more developed countries region, El Salvador and Guatemala. The rapid growth in the number of Salvadoran-owned private enterprises in Honduras (most noticeable in the number of shoe stores) in the eyes of ordinary Honduran citizens was clear evidence of the economic backwardness of their country. The problem of Salvadoran squatters, therefore, although not very significant in an economic sense, was a sore point for Honduran nationalists, who believed that economic dominance would be followed by territorial expansion, and the Hondurans would find themselves strangers in their own country.

Conflict escalation

Tensions in bilateral relations gradually increased during the two years preceding the conflict. The regime of Honduran President Oswaldo López Arellano (1963-1971) was experiencing significant economic and political difficulties and decided to use Salvadoran settlers as a convenient scapegoat. In January 1969, the government refused to renew the bilateral immigration treaty concluded in 1967 with El Salvador. In April, it announced its intention to deprive of property and expel from the country those who acquired land under the agrarian reform without providing the proof required by law that the transferee is a citizen of Honduras by birth. A media campaign was launched attributing rising unemployment and falling wages to an influx of migrant workers from El Salvador.

At the end of May, a stream of dispossessed migrants began to flow from Honduras to overpopulated El Salvador. Images of refugees and their stories filled the pages of Salvadoran newspapers and television screens. Rumors began to circulate about violence committed by the Honduran military when deporting immigrants. Tensions between the two countries were approaching a breaking point.

El Salvador's government services could not cope with the flow of refugees driven from the land; Discontent grew in society, threatening to result in a social explosion. Trust in government was declining; success in the conflict with Honduras could help him regain popular support. Although war would almost certainly lead to the collapse of the Central American Common Market, the Salvadoran government was willing to go through with it. In his estimation, the organization was already close to collapse due to the issue of trade advantages; war would only hasten the inevitable.

On the eve of the war

The incident that sparked open hostilities and gave the war its name took place in San Salvador in June 1969. Within a month, the football teams of the two countries had to play two matches to reach the final part of the 1970 FIFA World Cup (if each team won one match, a third one would be played). Riots broke out both during the first match in Tegucigalpa and after it (a certain Salvadoran citizen shot herself, declaring that she could not survive such a shame for her country), and during the second match (El Salvador's return victory), in San Salvador, they reached threatening levels. scale. In El Salvador, Honduran football players and fans were beaten, Honduran flags were burned; A retaliatory wave of attacks against Salvadorans, including two vice-consuls, swept across Honduras. An unknown number of Salvadorans died or were injured in the attacks, and tens of thousands fled the country. Emotions ran high, and real hysteria arose in the press of both countries. On June 27, 1969, immediately after losing the third match, Honduras severed diplomatic relations with El Salvador.

On July 14, the Salvadoran armed forces began concerted military action against Honduras.

Hostilities

The Salvadoran Air Force launched strikes against targets in Honduras, and the army launched offensives along the main roads connecting the two countries and the Honduran islands in the Gulf of Fonseca. At first, the Salvadoran troops were successful. By the evening of July 15, the Salvadoran army, larger and better armed than the opposing Honduran army, advanced 8 km and occupied the capital of the department of Nueva Octotepec. However, after this the offensive stalled due to lack of fuel and ammunition. The main reason for the fuel shortage was the actions of the Honduran Air Force, which, in addition to destroying the weaker Salvadoran air force, seriously damaged Salvadoran oil storage facilities.

The day after the war began, an emergency session of the Organization of American States was convened, calling for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Salvadoran troops from Honduras. For several days, El Salvador resisted calls from the OAS, demanding that Honduras first agree to pay reparations for attacks on Salvadoran citizens and guarantee the safety of Salvadorans remaining in Honduras. A ceasefire was agreed on July 18; The fire ceased completely by July 20. Until July 29, El Salvador refused to withdraw troops, but then agreed to withdraw troops in early August. He was persuaded to such a decision, on the one hand, by the threat of economic sanctions from the OAS, and on the other, by its proposals to station special OAS representatives in Honduras to monitor the safety of Salvadoran citizens. Active hostilities lasted only four days, but a peace treaty between the two countries was concluded only ten years later.

Consequences of the war

In fact, both sides lost the Football War. Between 60,000 and 130,000 Salvadorans were expelled or fled Honduras, leading to economic collapse in some areas. The conflict killed about 2,000 people, mostly civilians. Bilateral trade ceased completely and the border was closed, crippling both economies and turning the Central American Common Market into an organization that exists only on paper.

The political influence of the military in both countries increased after the war. In elections to the El Salvadoran parliament, candidates from the ruling National Reconciliation Party were mostly military. However, the government was unable to successfully resolve economic problems, associated with the appearance of thousands of deported citizens from Honduras in an already overpopulated country. In addition, the government lost the economic "safety valve" that illegal emigration to Honduras used to provide; The land issue again sharply worsened. The resulting social tension was one of the reasons for the civil war that broke out in El Salvador in 1981.

I don’t remember who exactly, but I think it was one of the sports journalists who called the World Cup the “third world war.”

Of course, this is a clear exaggeration, but there is undoubtedly some truth in these words. Relations between countries cannot but be reflected on the football field, since football has long ceased to be just a sport, but is a socially significant phenomenon that permeates all aspects of the life of modern society.

Unfortunately, you don’t have to look far for examples - the recent European Championship qualifying match between Albania and Albania showed how thin the line is that separates sports rivalry on the field from hostile confrontation between nations. So the slogan “football is beyond politics,” unfortunately, remains just a slogan.

Now I want to remind you of those football events that were painted in far from football colors.

1955 USSR - Germany: no room for error

In 1955, on August 21, in Moscow, without exaggeration, the most significant friendly match in the history of football took place. Teams met USSR and Germany - the main participants and main opponents of the terrible war in human history, which has claimed tens of millions human lives at both sides.

Diplomatic relations had not even been established between the countries at that time; moreover, in response to the accession Germany into the NATO bloc, precisely in 1955 on the initiativeSoviet UnionThe Warsaw Pact organization was created. The significance of the game is evidenced by the fact that the start of the next championship Germany was moved forward two weeks.

To be honest, it still remains a mystery to me how the leadership of the USSR authorized this meeting. The fact is that the CPSU Central Committee took sporting defeats very painfully - just remember the disbanded CDKA team, which formed the backbone of the team that lost to Yugoslavia in 1952.

And a year later, the question of sending the football team to the Olympics in Melbourne was up in the air until the last moment, precisely because of a number of failures in friendly matches. And here... The German national team is the current world champion and loses to the Germans in Moscow in the year of the decade Great Victory– the leaders of our state could not have dreamed of this even in their worst nightmare.

One way or another, the match took place. It ended with the victory of the Soviet team, a strong-willed victory - the Soviet football players, losing 1:2, managed to score two goals in the second half against the reigning world champions and won 3:2. It couldn’t have been otherwise, because the WINNERS were sitting in the stands.

War for the Islands: continued on the football field

The year 1982 was marked by one of the largest military conflicts since World War II. This conflict occurred between England and Argentina over a small and unattractive piece of land - the Falkland Islands, which, nevertheless, are important as a transit point between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Although war was not officially declared, the conflict was widespread, with aircraft and warships destroyed.

It so happened that four years later, at the World Championships in Mexico, the teams of these countries met each other in the quarter finals. The main topic that heated up the situation before the game was the theme of the past war.

He also added fuel to the fire by saying that this game would be revenge for the dead Argentine guys. Maradona will become the main hero of this meeting, both a positive and negative hero.

Argentina won 2:1 and both of Maradona’s goals went down in football history forever - he scored the first with his hand, later saying that it was “the hand of God,” and the second by running half the field with the ball and beating half of the opposing team. By the way, on June 22, the day when this meeting took place, parishioners of the “Maradoniana Church” - and Argentina has one - celebrate Easter.

In 1998, the teams met again at the World Championships, this time at the 1/8 final stage. The theme of war was also discussed then, although not as actively as 12 years ago, but the “hand of God” was not forgotten by the British. It was one of the brightest matches of that World Cup, and again it was marked by both a masterpiece - Michael Owen's goal, and a scandal - the provocative actions of Diego Simeone, which led to the expulsion from the field of David Beckham.

The main and extra time then ended in a 2:2 draw; the Argentines were stronger on penalties.

Only four years later the British managed to take revenge. They defeated the Argentines in the group stage match, thanks to the only goal scored by Beckham from the penalty spot. Argentina did not make it out of the group then.

The war is real

Well, now about the real tragedy - the infamous “football war”. The national teams of El Salvador and Honduras met in the qualifying games for the 1970 World Cup. The first game ended with a minimal victory for Honduras 1:0; in the return game at home, El Salvador won 3:0.

And it was after the return game, which took place on June 15, 1969, in San Salvador that tragic events occurred that led to a military conflict - Honduran football players and fans were beaten, and in response, a wave of acts of violence against Salvadorans took place in Honduras. All this soon turned into a real war with the use of tanks and aircraft, with thousands of casualties.

In fairness, it should be noted that football was only the detonator of the conflict; its real reasons are much deeper - these are the territorial claims of both countries, not the best migration relations, and land issues.

Football peacefulness

In order not to end on a sad note, I will give a wonderful example of the unity of fans of competing teams on the field.

So, summer 2004, Portugal, the final part of the European Championship. A unique situation arose in group “C” by the last round. It was enough for the national teams of Sweden and Denmark to play a productive draw with each other, starting with a score of 2:2, and they would both advance further.

The fact is that in case of equality of points, it was not the difference between goals scored and goals conceded that was taken into account, but the results of personal meetings. The Swedes and Danes beat the Bulgarians, and played with Italy 1:1 and 0:0, respectively. Thus, in the event of a 2:2 draw between them, Italy, with a zero goal difference in meetings between these three teams, would have the worst record in terms of the number of goals scored in these games.

The match ended with a score of 2:2, with the Swedes equalizing the score in the penultimate minute. You can say that it was a conspiracy, or you can say that the teams achieved the result they wanted - it’s not for me to judge that.

But I remember very well the brightly dressed Danes and Swedes sitting in the stands mixed with beer in their hands and holding posters like “Arrividerchi, Italy” and “Sweden-Denmark – 2:2”. These are the pacifists.

Football war

Opponents : El Salvador, Honduras

Strengths of the parties:
El Salvador: 2,500 soldiers; 30 aircraft; 4 ships.
Honduras: 8,000 soldiers; 25 aircraft; 4 ships.
Military losses:
El Salvador 700 dead.
Honduras 1200 dead.

On the eve of the war

El Salvador, being the smallest and most populous of all the Central American states, had a more developed economy, but experienced an acute shortage of cultivable land. Much of the land in El Salvador was controlled by large landowners, leading to a "land famine" and the migration of landless peasants to neighboring Honduras.
Honduras is much larger in territory than its neighbor, not so densely populated and less developed economically. By 1969, more than 300 thousand Salvadorans had moved to Honduras in search of free land and income. For Honduras, the land question in itself was of little importance; however, the prospect of Salvadoran dominance in the economy caused great irritation in society.

Football

The reason for the military conflict was the qualifying matches for the World Cup between the football teams of El Salvador and Honduras.
The qualifying matches consisted of two matches on each opponent's field. If each side won, an additional match was assigned to determine the winner, without taking into account the goal difference in the first two games.
The first match took place in the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, on June 8 and ended with a score of 1:0 in favor of the owners. After the match, local fans reported to the police about numerous attacks by fans of the visiting team.
The return match took place in the capital of El Salvador on June 15. The night before the match, Honduran players were left on the street practically in their underpants due to a fire in their hotel. The visiting team, who did not get enough sleep, lost miserably to the hosts 3:0.

After the game, riots broke out on the streets of the capital: hundreds of cars were set on fire, storefronts were left empty, and local hospitals set attendance records. Honduran fans were beaten and Honduran flags were burned. A retaliatory wave of attacks against Salvadorans, including two vice-consuls, swept across Honduras. An unknown number of Salvadorans died or were injured in the attacks, and tens of thousands fled the country.

The third match took place on a neutral field in the capital of Mexico - Mexico City. The El Salvador team celebrated their victory in extra time with a score of 3:2. Immediately after the match, bloody clashes began between fans of both teams on the streets of the Mexican capital.

Hostilities

After losing the third match, Honduras severed diplomatic relations with El Salvador. Attacks against Salvadorans began in Honduras. The El Salvadoran government responded by declaring a state of emergency and beginning to mobilize reservists.

On July 14, El Salvador began military operations, in which it was successful at the first stage - the army of this country was more numerous and better prepared. However, the offensive soon slowed down, which was facilitated by the actions of the Honduran Air Force, which in turn was superior to the Salvadoran Air Force.

Their main contribution to the war was the destruction of oil storage facilities, which deprived the El Salvadoran army of fuel necessary for a further offensive, as well as the transfer of Honduran troops to the front with the help of transport aircraft.
On July 15, the Organization of American States called for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Salvadoran troops from Honduras. At first, El Salvador ignored these calls, demanding that Honduras agree to pay reparations for attacks on Salvadoran citizens and guarantee the safety of Salvadorans remaining in Honduras. On July 18, a ceasefire was agreed upon, but hostilities ceased completely only on July 20.

Consequences

In fact, both sides lost the war. Between 60,000 and 130,000 Salvadorans were expelled or fled Honduras, leading to economic collapse in some areas. The conflict killed about 2,000 people, mostly civilians. Bilateral trade came to a complete halt and the border was closed, crippling both economies.

This war, which did not reveal a winner, became “fatal” for wealthy El Salvador. Trade relations with a neighbor frozen for ten years, as well as the instability of thousands of Salvadoran peasants returning from Honduras, led to an economic crisis and civil war in the 1980s.

Did you know. What…