Today is the anniversary of one of the most bizarre wars ever fought. On July 14, 1969, two Central American countries went to war over soccer.
Soccer can get pretty intense, but it usually does not lead to war. In 1969, El Salvador and Honduras were competing for a spot in the 1970 World Cup. They had to play a home and home series. The nations were already on bad terms as Salvadoran immigrants were being mistreated in Honduras. The night before the match, Hondurans honked car horns and popped firecrackers outside the Salvadoran team’s hotel so they would not get any sleep. Honduras won its home game 1-0. Salvadorans did not take defeat lightly and one girl committed suicide. She was given a televised funeral which ramped up the anger. When Salvador won the next game 3-0, fans fought and several Hondurans were killed. The mistreatment of the immigrants increased. The rubber match was played in Mexico City and El Salvador won the trip to the tournament 3-2. At this point, Salvador broke diplomatic relations with Honduras due to the mistreatment of its people. The Salvadoran army invaded Honduras on July 14, 1969 and a cease-fire was arranged after four days. 900 Salvadorans, mostly civilians, were killed. The Hondurans lost around 250 soldiers and 2,000 civilians.
https://historycollection.co/20-historic-events-even-the-movies-wont-touch/15/
The Greatest War Storied Never Told pp. 192-3
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