Scarsdale High School

Soccer in the Soccer War

To what extent was the war actually due to the soccer matches?

Ben Rubin

World History II

Mr. Sherrin

3/20/18 The time is 1:00 am. There are mobs consisting of thousands of angry fans chanting and screaming. Some are in their cars as they honk their horns. Others are setting off fireworks that loudly explode as they burst in the sky. A large brown brick is thrown through a window, shattering it into three jagged pieces. A second window breaks and resting on the floor are two dead rats, rotten eggs, and shards of glass (6). This illustration could be found outside the hotel in El Salvador in 1969 where the Honduras Men’s National Soccer Team slept the night before their game against El Salvador. Salvadorian fans attempted to disrupt the sleep of the Honduran athletes in order to ensure a substandard performance from the opposition. Following a series of World Cup soccer matches between the two countries, a war broke out that lasted 100 hours.

Known as the Football War, people often jump to the conclusion that the war was over a game of soccer. Although it is true that the matches did not help to improve the international relations, the Football War of 1969 is the production of a build-up of tensions formed by a combination of overpopulation, immigration, and nationalism.

Throughout my research, I discovered a variety of sources that directed me to finding an answer to my question. I was able to find primary sources that offered a personal description of an event, as well as secondary and tertiary sources that presented an outsider’s perspective of the events. With the use of the Jstor database, I encountered several different journal articles that stated various facts and statistics on the Football War. For instance, in my research paper I will use information found in a journal called The Football War and the Central American ​ Common Market, by Vincent Cable. This source discussed the immigration problem in El ​ Salvador, the tensions between Honduras and El Salvador prior to the war, and the effect that the war had on the Central American Common Market. I also used a journal titled Honduras- El ​ Salvador, The War of One Hundred Hours: A Case of Regional Disintegration, by Alain Rouquié ​ and Michel Vale. This document goes into more detail about the conditions and tensions prior to the war, as well as the battles that were fought in the actual war itself. Additionally, I came upon a book written by journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski called The Soccer War. For a change, ​ ​ Kapuscinski described the conditions in Honduras and El Salvador from his own perspective, as he had observed the events himself along with his other journalist friends. However, one must be careful when using information from Kapuscinski as he repeatedly quotes his other fellow journalists and restates what they had told him. Although Kapuscinski may have intended to share the truth, it is possible that the other journalists had incorrect information. I was also able to discover a couple primary sources that were published during the period of the war. I found two articles, one published by the New York Times in 1972, and one by an unnamed company in El Salvador dating back to 1969. Both articles speak about solutions for the war and possible futures.

On June 8th, 1970, the El Salvador men’s national soccer team was scheduled to go to

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in order to play against Honduras in the first of a series of 3 qualifying games for the World Cup. Honduras came away with a 1-0 win in the first match. The second game between the two countries was played in San Salvador where El Salvador won 3-0. Riots broke out and violence was brought upon fans of the away team. The day before the final match, El Salvador ended all diplomatic relations with Honduras. With tensions high and everything on the line, El salvador pulled out with a 3-2 win. The borders between the two nations shut down due to frequent disagreements and altercations. Both countries stacked up their militaries as they each expected an imminent war. Only 18 days after the matches, war broke out. Both sides exchanged many bombings and on August 2nd, the Organization of

American States was finally able to convince El Salvador to back down and remove their troops, ultimately ending the war (5). Each country finished with around 2,000 casualties, and the extensive trading market that once connected the two nations was destroyed. Despite its name, the Soccer War, it wasn’t the soccer that actually started the war.

During the 1960’s, El Salvador had many economical issues that prompted many of their citizens to flock to their neighboring country, Honduras. The primary problem that the

Salvadorans faced was an extreme case of overpopulation. Around 3 million people were squished into only 21,000 square km. For a better understanding, in Honduras, only 2.5 million people occupied over 110,000 square km. Furthermore, the land in El Salvador was distributed in a highly unfair manner. The rich landowners purchased large farms, which ultimately left the majority of the population to live in the small amount of land that remained. Only 5% of all the farms made up for 70% of the cultivated land. This left 200,000 peasants without land.

Additionally, 75% of the rural families made less than 2 euros a week. This created a nationwide struggle to access food. Lastly, the end of each farming season posed another issue for the

Salvadorans. 33% of the farmers were seasonally employed, not permanently. Thus, when the farming season came to an end, these seasonal farmers would be left without a job (2).

Each day for any given Salvadoran was a struggle. If one was lucky enough to find work, he/she was forced to work long hours in the fields under the scorching hot sun in exchange for insufficient pay. He/she would then go to the market to buy dinner. During that time period, food was scarce and one would be considered lucky if he/she was able to find food and purchase it.

In order to escape this unfortunate life, thousands of Salvadorans migrated to Honduras. There, life was a lot easier. With much more land to be divided among less people (compared to El

Salvador), jobs were easily accessible for the Salvadoran immigrants. Many Honduran landowners enjoyed hiring the Salvadorans as they offered to work for little costs. In 1969, around 300,000 Salvadorans had immigrated to Honduras. Many took the legal path, however it was also highly common to illegally cross the border and start a life in Honduras. Salvadorans had such a large presence that el colón, the Salvadoran form of money, circulated in certain

Honduran villages and areas. Moreover, certain Salvadorans voted and were active participants in the Honduran governments. In short, Honduras acted as an escape route for the Salvadorans who experienced economical issues (8).

Serving as a scapegoat for Honduras’ political and economic struggles, thousands of

Salvadoran immigrants were subject to violence after a rise in Honduran nationalism. Many

Hondurans grew angry with their own government and President Arellano, but the blame was immediately thrown onto the abundant Salvadoran immigrants (12). In 1966, rich landowners in

Honduras formed the National Federation of Farmers and Livestock. This group of wealthy farm owners spread a large feeling of not only national pride, but also hatred towards their neighboring country, El Salvador. Many Hondurans began violently attacking Salvadoran immigrants. Certain Hondurans took the path of abuse and torture, while others decided to take the more extreme path of murder. Furthermore, new laws were passed that discriminated against foreign immigrants. In 1969, a land reform act was passed that stated that no foreigners could own state land. This law did not really affect anyone but the Salvadoran immigrants. 50

Salvadoran families were evicted from their homes in one night. The police also joined in on the action. Police aided violent groups that inflicted fear among foreigners so that they would leave

Honduras. On June 26th, El Salvador ended all diplomatic ties with Honduras for they accused

Honduras of committing a genocide against the immigrants (5).

Granted that tensions between the two nations were already present at the time of the

World Cup, the soccer matches did not create hostility; instead they merely amplified a prior enmity. Honduras and El Salvador had a long feud during the 1960’s. Hostile actions like the murders and violence committed against the other nation had created a hatred between the two countries that was present at the time of the World Cup in 1970. Honduras hosted the first soccer match and as the Salvadoran team arrived at their hotel, mobs and riots formed outside.

Salvadoran fans were abused in the streets and in the stadium. At the following game in

Honduras, similar riots formed, however this time they were opposing the traveling Honduran team. 2 Honduran fans were killed, while others were beaten so badly that they were forced to retreat back home. Fires were set off in the streets and around 150 cars were burnt. The

Honduran athletes drove to the game in armoured cars while soldiers were lined in the streets.

During the ceremonial presentation of both nation’s flags, the Salvadorans raised a dirty dishrag instead of the Honduran national flag. Additionally, Salvadoran fans yelled, booed, and chanted during the Honduran national anthem (6). Actions like these were not unplanned, cold blooded, and spontaneous incidents; they were a response to the recent strife that the two nations had previously.

However, it is possible for one to argue that the violence at the soccer matches was caused by the atmosphere and intensity of the World Cup, and that these events were the main reasons for the war. In 1970, the World Cup matches had a total of 1,673,975 people in attendance, with an average of 52,312 per game (1). The 2014 World Cup had 3.2 billion viewers, thus designating it as the most watched live event on television, on average, in all of the 21st century. This tournament is not just a couple of matches between different teams; it is a place for people to play their heart out, represent their country, and prove why they are the best.

When El Salvador lost to Honduras in 1970, an 18-year-old girl by the name of Amelia Bolanios took her own life (6). Clearly, the matches played in the tournament were more than just a couple games. Based on this, one could suggest that such intense and important games could have sparked arguments and rampage, which ultimately intensified and converted into wars.

Contrary to the common misconception that the Soccer War was a result of the World

Cup in 1970, intensified tensions originating from overpopulation, immigration, and nationalism were actually the main cause of the war. The fundamental question of this essay is not as important to the world as the actual function of this essay. One might not need to know the true cause of the Soccer War, however one must always make sure to ask questions. Questions explore one’s curiosity and allow one to develop more than one perspective, opinion, and/or belief about a certain thing, whether that be when discussing historical events or a current situation. Additionally, questioning history allows humans to learn from their mistakes. When one asks about the causes of a tragic or devastating event, one could learn to not commit similar mistakes and ultimately prevent something similar from happening again. In conclusion, questions are the best way for one to avoid something disastrous from occuring, while also understanding a concept at a greater depth.

Works Cited 1-Alsos, Jan. “World Cup 1970.” Planet World Cup - 1970 - Statistics, ​ ​ www.planetworldcup.com/CUPS/1970/wc70statistics.html. 2-Cable, Vincent. “The 'Football War' and the Central American Common Market.” International Affairs, vol. 45, ser. 4, pp. 658–671. JSTOR [JSTOR], JSTOR, ​ ​ ​ www.jstor.org.sufsd.idm.oclc.org/stable/pdf/2613335.pdf?refreqid=excelsior:b5e176 4ea97669cbcc773906673ef3c8. 3-“Fotos Históricas: La Absurda Guerra De Las 100 Horas Entre Honduras y El Salvador.” Elsalvador.com, 14 July 2017, ​ www.elsalvador.com/fotogalerias/noticias-fotogalerias/373503/fotos-historicas-la-abs urda-guerra-de-las-100-horas-entre-honduras-y-el-salvador/. 4-Group, Helvidius. “What Caused The Soccer War?” Columbia University Journal of ​ Politics & Society, 10 June 2014, ​ www.helvidius.org/2014/06/10/what-caused-the-soccer-war/. 5-Hickman, Kennedy. “A War Caused by a Football Game?” ThoughtCo, 29 Apr. 2017, ​ ​ www.thoughtco.com/latin-america-the-football-war-2360853. 6-Kapuscinski, Ryszard, and William Brand. The Soccer War. Granta Books, 2011. ​ ​ 7-“Moments in U.S. Diplomatic History.” Association for Diplomatic Studies and ​ Training, adst.org/2014/06/the-1969-soccer-war/#.WlzGSJM-efU. ​ 8-Rouquié, Alain, and Michel Vale. “HONDURAS – EL SALVADOR, THE WAR OF ONE HUNDRED HOURS: A CASE OF REGIONAL ‘DISINTEGRATION.’” International Journal of Politics, pp. 17–51. JSTOR [JSTOR], JSTOR, ​ ​ ​ www.jstor.org.sufsd.idm.oclc.org/stable/pdf/27868774.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A5e 4e1492c460fd630edb870dd9d78ac8. 9-"Salvadoran POWs during Soccer War with Honduras, 1969." Gale World History in Context, Gale, 1969. World History in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/BT2380000820/WHIC?u=nysl_me_scarshs&xid= 20321744. Accessed 18 Mar. 2018. 10-“Soccer War 1969.” El Salvador Honduras War 1969, ​ ​ www.onwar.com/aced/chrono/c1900s/yr60/fsoccer1969.htm. 11-Veytskin, Yurly, et al. “The Soccer War.” Soccer Politics / The Politics of Football, 24 ​ ​ Oct. 2013, sites.duke.edu/wcwp/research-projects/the-soccer-war/. 12-Webre, Stephen. "Football War." Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, edited by Jay Kinsbruner and Erick D. Langer, 2nd ed., vol. 3, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2008, pp. 258-259. World History in Context, http://link.galegroup.com.sufsd.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/CX3078902280/WHIC?u=nys l_me_scarshs&xid=38c754.... Accessed 18 Mar. 2018.