March 25, 2024, 10:04 p.m.
(Photo: football24.ua)
In 1969, El Salvador and Honduras fought a war that went down in history as the "football war." As always in such situations, football became just a screen behind which complex political and economic reasons were hidden. In addition, two military dictatorships will always find a way to realize their military potential if they are close by.
What you need to know about Central American countries
How did Honduras and El Salvador get along?
From soccer to hatred in one step
Has El Salvador become a world football champion?
Starting with the conquistadors, the future countries of Central America were part of the Spanish Empire. In the first decades of the nineteenth century, Spanish colonies in both Americas began to fight for independence. For Central America, this struggle was successful in 1821. For some time, the liberated territory tried to function as a coherent state entity, but soon divided into separate countries. Since then, Central America has become one of the most unstable regions in the world, with revolutions, coups, and civil wars taking place on a regular basis, sometimes interspersed with wars between neighboring countries for the sake of variety. The instability of the region's countries results in weak economies and poverty.
Spanish colonies in the Americas in the late eighteenth century. Image: Wikipedia
In the middle of the nineteenth century, American and British capital began to flow into the economies of Central America. Gradually, American capital gained the upper hand in this market. American business is primarily interested in agriculture, for which it builds transportation infrastructure. In the early twentieth century, American companies took full control of the economies of some countries. The companies' exploitation of the local population leads to regular uprisings, which are systematically suppressed.
Central America is an agricultural region focused on exports. Among the export crops are bananas, coffee, sugar cane, and cotton. At the same time, industry is underdeveloped, dominated by small factories producing everyday goods. The region is generally characterized by a low standard of living and a high crime rate.
Honduras and El Salvador are located next to each other on the map. It is immediately noticeable that Honduras is much larger in size. El Salvador is generally the smallest country in Central America by area, and its population density is the highest in the region. El Salvador's overpopulation has played an important role in this story.
Central American countries on a map of the region. Image: Image.
Relations between the two countries have gone through different stages, but at the turn of the 50s and 60s of the 20th century they could be called constructive. Both countries tried to carry out reforms, although regular coups hindered progress. Large American companies continued to pour significant investments into the region, which stimulated the economy. The flip side of the coin was that the economies and even the foreign policies of weak states were subject to U.S. control. American companies also owned much of the land in the region. A progressive step was the signing in 1960 of an agreement by Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador to create the Central American Common Market (hereinafter referred to as the CAC). A little later, Costa Rica joined the agreement. The purpose of the agreement was to remove trade and customs restrictions and coordinate the countries' economic policies. Thus, the situation is far from ideal, but there is a dialogue and economic cooperation between the countries.
El Salvador's overpopulation led to a lack of land for farmers. Therefore, in the first half of the 20th century, Salvadorans began to move to neighboring Honduras, which, on the contrary, had a lot of free land. Honduras and American companies did not object to this development for a long time, as the country lacked labor. Moreover, Salvadorans agreed to work for less than the locals. The flow of immigrants grew, and by the end of the 1960s, 300,000 Salvadorans lived in Honduras, or more than 10% of the country's population. A significant part of the immigrants had an illegal status, although a certain percentage managed to obtain Honduran citizenship.
At the turn of the decade, the economies of El Salvador and Honduras were considered to be leading in the region, but in the 1960s the situation in the latter deteriorated significantly. Honduras had debts to all SDG signatories, with El Salvador being the largest creditor. To stabilize the economy, the Honduran authorities introduced taxes on consumer goods, which put significant pressure on the poor.
In the 60s, Salvadorans made up a significant part of the population of Honduras. Some of the immigrants settled well in the new land and even opened their own small businesses. Shoe workshops became a particularly popular type of business. The success of some immigrants created psychological tension among the Hondurans, whose well-being was steadily deteriorating. The situation was complicated by the fact that there were many illegal immigrants among the Salvadorans. There was a widespread belief among the locals that immigrants were the cause of the Hondurans' troubles. During the 1960s, there were several local clashes between the two nations, including the murder of a Salvadoran citizen in 1961.
In 1963, as a result of a military coup, Colonel Oswaldo Arellano came to power in Honduras. Obviously, he was not the best leader of the country. In addition to economic problems, under Arellano's presidency, democratic organizations were harassed, almost all political parties were banned, and the press was censored. In September 1968, the country went through a severe crisis as workers, small traders, artisans, and students went on strike. The government declared a state of siege in the country and sent police and army forces to suppress the strike.
Even before Arellano's usurpation of power in 1962, Honduras had adopted a Land Reform Law. This law came into force only in 1967. The law stated that land should be owned exclusively by indigenous Hondurans. In other words, both illegal and legal Salvadoran immigrants were effectively deprived of the right to land. The simultaneous deprivation of several hundred thousand people of their property and the ability to earn a living could have led to a humanitarian catastrophe. Therefore, in 1967, Honduras and El Salvador signed a bilateral immigration treaty that tried to mitigate the law's impact. However, the crisis of late 1968, which put the Honduran government in a critical position, forced President Arellano to act aggressively. The Honduran leader decided that all the blame for his mismanagement could be shifted to Salvadoran immigrants, especially since the legal framework for this step was so conveniently prepared.
In January 1969, the Honduran government refused to extend its immigration treaty with El Salvador. In April, the government announced that it would deprive of property and expel from the country anyone who had purchased land but could not prove Honduran citizenship at birth. At the same time, the Honduran media launched a propaganda wave explaining the rise in unemployment and falling wages as a result of the dominance of Salvadoran migrants. Soon, not only the former landowners but also those who had come from El Salvador to work began to be deported from the country.
At that time, El Salvador was trying to somehow cope with the flow of refugees. Local media reported on the suffering of the people and the arbitrariness of the Honduran military during the deportation. Now all that was left to do was to light a match.
Thousands of Salvadorans have fled Honduras and are seeking asylum. Photo: AFP
In June 1969, Honduras and El Salvador were to meet in the semifinals of the World Cup qualifying tournament. The finalists were to be determined in two matches. If necessary, a third match was scheduled on a neutral field. The first meeting was to take place in the capital of Honduras.
To understand further events, it is necessary to make a small digression and note that for ordinary citizens of Central and South America, football is an immanent part of the culture. It helps people whose whole lives are spent fighting poverty to plunge into a wonderful world where competitions are held according to fair rules and the best celebrate victory. For those with talent, soccer is one of the few opportunities to escape the cycle of poverty. Citizens of South America cheer for their team with dedication and passion, as the players actually represent the working class on the international stage. Now, to this emotional cocktail, it remains to add a conflict that has reached the highest boiling point.
So, before the first game in the capital of Honduras, local fans organized a full night concert with stones under the windows of the hotel where the El Salvadoran players were staying. Undoubtedly, the night's events affected the visitors' game, but the hosts scored the only decisive goal only in the penultimate minute. The riots began right at the stadium and continued on the streets as both sides looked for a reason to conflict.
In various sources, one can find a story about how an 18-year-old girl from El Salvador could not bear the shame of defeat and shot herself in the heart. It remains unclear how she communicated the reasons for her suicide. Yes, cheerleading deaths do indeed sometimes occur in America. However, we should not forget that the girl was not a fan of Brazil or Argentina. If we take into account the football success of the El Salvadoran national team, we can only guess how the unfortunate victim of the events managed to live to such a venerable age. Perhaps the shot to the heart indicates a slightly different reason for the suicide. One way or another, the Salvadoran media picked up the story, and the farewell to the victim was nationwide. El Salvador began preparing to receive guests.
The overnight stay of the Honduran players in the San Salvador hotel on the eve of the second game turned into a siege. Local fans with bats and machetes tried to storm the building and attempted to set it on fire. The next day, the athletes from Honduras got to the stadium under military protection. The atmosphere at the stadium itself was no better. Locals were burning Honduran flags and threatening the guests with violence. The guests could not play under such conditions, so the match ended with a "deserved" victory for the home team with a score of 3:0. After the game, the Honduran coach said they were lucky to lose the match. The players were destined to return home unharmed, but the Honduran fans had to take the fight to the enemy. Two of them died, and dozens were hospitalized in serious condition. In response, Honduras launched a hunt for the Salvadorans.
After the match, the conflict moved to the government level. At first, both sides exchanged notes of protest. On June 24, El Salvador began mobilization. On the eve of the match, the country broke off diplomatic relations with Honduras, and shortly after the third game, Honduras responded in kind.
The third game took place on a neutral field in Mexico City and was a tense affair. Honduras led 2-1, but El Salvador won 3-2 in extra time. After the game, fans started jumping on the field and a fight broke out.
The El Salvador national team before the decisive game against Honduras. Photo: bbc.com
Continuation of the conflict was inevitable. In the first half of July, there were several clashes between the military of both countries, and on July 14, a full-fledged war broke out.
An allegorical depiction of the situation on the eve of the war between Honduras and El Salvador. Image: si.com
Salvadoran ground forces crossed the border of the neighboring country, moving along the main roads. At the same time, the Salvadoran Air Force attacked the airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduran troop concentrations near the border, and other targets. On the night of July 15, Honduran planes retaliated, damaging the enemy's air base and oil storage facilities.
The air forces of both countries could hardly be called powerful. Each side had up to 30 military aircraft. The enemies used American piston-engine propeller fighters from World War II. Due to the poor technical condition, half of the Salvadoran planes could not even take off, so Honduras had an advantage in this field. Interestingly, the enemy had no bombers at all. To bomb targets, the air forces of the parties to the conflict began to use civilian aircraft. At the same time, bombs were thrown directly through the windows, so the accuracy of the hit was low.
A P-51 Mustang fighter jet that took part in the Football War on the side of El Salvador. Photo: Wikipedia
While Honduras dominated the air, El Salvador had the advantage on the ground. By the end of the second day of the war, the Salvadorans had advanced 8 kilometers into enemy territory. On July 15, an extraordinary session of the Organization of American States (hereinafter - OAS) was convened, which called on the parties to the conflict to cease fire and also demanded that El Salvador withdraw its troops. Nevertheless, the war continued, as El Salvador still had the potential for an offensive. As of July 17, in some parts of the front, the Salvadorans were able to move 70 km deep into the territory. On July 18, the OAS proposed a draft agreement to resolve the conflict. In response, El Salvadoran President Fidel Hernandez demanded that Honduras pay reparations for the attack on Salvadoran citizens and security guarantees for immigrants. By July 20, the fighting had completely ceased, but El Salvadoran troops continued to hold positions in Honduras.
During the negotiations with El Salvador, the OAS, first, offered to send representatives of the organization to Honduras to monitor the safety of Salvadoran immigrants and, second, threatened to impose economic sanctions against the country. El Salvador withdrew its troops from Honduras on August 2. Honduras refused to pay reparations.
According to various sources, from 2 to 6 thousand people died in the war. In fact, both countries lost the war. Since the fighting took place on the territory of Honduras, the country suffered material damage and destruction, and thousands of people were left homeless.
As for El Salvador, the consequences were hardly better. The country had to make efforts to meet the economic needs of citizens deported from Honduras. The government's unsatisfactory actions resulted in a severe civil war that began 10 years after the Soccer War.
The war affected trade and economic relations between the two countries and suspended the SDGs. The damaged relations between the two countries were manifested in regular clashes on the Salvadoran-Honduran border during the 1970s. The peace treaty between the countries was signed only in 1980.
No, it did not, but it did get a chance to play in the World Cup. After defeating Honduras in the semifinals, El Salvador faced the Haitian national team in the decisive matches. After defeating the Haitians 2-1 on the road, the Salvadorans unexpectedly lost 0-3 on their home field, so they once again had to play a decisive match. In the third game, which took place in the capital of Jamaica, the Salvadorans celebrated a 1-0 victory in extra time.
In the final part of the World Cup, El Salvador was in a group with the USSR, Mexico, and Belgium. The Central American team lost all three matches without scoring a single goal. However, such a result is not a reason to mock. The mere fact that El Salvador was present at the World Cup can be considered a significant success for the people of a small country that has suffered from internal conflicts, wars, and economic problems for centuries.
The El Salvador national team concedes a goal against Belgium at the 1970 World Cup. Photo: si.com
A football war is an event that is usually treated ironically. After all, how can one take seriously a war that took place between two "banana republics," had such a funny name, lasted only 6 days, and relied on outdated World War II aircraft as its main striking force? In fact, any armed conflict deserves respect and allows for broad generalizations.
Central America has been and remains a typical "third world" region with enormous instability, severe corruption, high levels of poverty and crime. What are the reasons for this negative stability in the region? The main reason is obviously the exploitation of the region by developed countries. First, the region was exploited by Spain for centuries, and then the United States joined the "soft" economic exploitation. In fact, countries such as Honduras and El Salvador have never had the opportunity to feel sovereign in their decision-making. And they should not expect to have such a chance in the near future, as they are part of the US sphere of influence as neighboring territories. However, the example of Southeast Asian countries should inspire many former colonies.
In our opinion, the lack of experience of an independent mentality in Central American countries leads to a lack of true national leaders who could put the interests of the people above their own. Because of this, throughout history, energetic adventurers have come to the helm in the countries of the region, seeking more money and power. Such systematic destructive activities increasingly undermine the economic foundations of the state, which is accumulating debt and sinking deeper into drug dependence on powerful global players and international funds. The petty dictators themselves are ready for any manipulation to maintain power. For example, the football war is a typical example of an external conflict that allows to distract the population of their own country from the internal crisis. Dictators of different eras have repeatedly used this terrible technology.
The football war proved that within a short period of history, powerful xenophobia can be artificially created between two nations. Xenophobia is an infectious disease that spreads where there is a low level of education and self-respect, numerous complexes are prevalent, and life is spent struggling with daily poverty. We believe that Central American countries have a long way to go to fully immunize themselves against this scourge.
The soccer war demonstrates how dangerous large-scale uncontrolled migration can be. Of course, the arbitrary appropriation of land on someone else's territory can hardly be viewed favorably. At the same time, it is difficult to understand what a leader brought up on the ideas of humanism should do if there are several hundred thousand illegal immigrants on his territory. Careless abrupt moves in such a situation could be regarded by the international community as genocide. Obviously, a cynical adventurer should not be deterred by such trivial issues.
The football war took place in the last century on the opposite side of the world under specific conditions. However, a careful study of other people's experiences unexpectedly reveals some parallels with our own life path.
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