Football Connoisseur: Football War. Six-day "football" war. Why did it start? Background and causes of the Football War

This is the official name for the short (fortunately) military conflict between the neighboring countries of Central America - El Salvador and Honduras. The war lasted only six days (from July 14 to 20, 1969) and the immediate cause was the loss of the Honduras team to the El Salvador team in the qualifying matches for the World Cup. Despite its transience, the war turned out to be quite bloody (up to 5,000 dead, including civilians), and most importantly, it “buried” the integration project of the “Central American Common Market” and doomed all countries in the region to a period of instability for a long time. The peace treaty between El Salvador and Honduras was signed only 10 years after the end of the war, and then in the context of the advance of communist rebels who had already taken power in one of the Central American countries (Nicaragua) and seriously threatened to repeat the scenario in El Salvador, and then, possibly, in Honduras .

The reason (“Shot of the Principle”) for the “football war” between El Salvador and Honduras was the qualifying matches for the 1970 World Cup. According to the results of three games, the Salvadorans won.

The real reasons were deeper - economic problems and “distraction therapy” of the heads of these countries. The victims of the six-day war (July 14-20, 1969) between these “banana republics” were from 2 to 6 thousand people. A peace treaty between the countries was signed only in 1979.

In fact, both sides lost the war. Between 60 and 130 thousand Salvadorans were expelled or fled Honduras.

The Football War was also the last military conflict in which piston-engined propeller-driven aircraft fought against each other. Both sides used American aircraft from World War II. The condition of the Salvadoran Air Force was so poor that bombs had to be dropped by hand.

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Surely, all people who are in one way or another interested in football are aware of its importance and influence on a person’s mood, and indeed, on all areas of his life. However, few people know that in world history there have been matches that later became the reason for real hostilities between entire countries! Like, for example, what happened back in 1969...

A seemingly ordinary football match between two Latin American teams marked the beginning of the so-called “Football War,” during which several thousand people died. July 14, 1969 is the official date of the start of the military conflict, which lasted 6 days. 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 hosts.

The heads of both states were present at the match, so the teams gave their best. The opponents were essentially equal; it was very difficult to give the dominant role to one of the teams in the match. But despite this, Honduran striker Roberto Cardona managed to score the goal in the final minutes. This match was also watched by a fan of the El Salvador national team, eighteen-year-old Emilia Balaños, in the city of San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. At the end of the match, Emilia took out her father's pistol and shot herself in the heart. The next morning in El Salvador, the next edition of the El Nacional newspaper was published with the headline “She could not stand the shame of her country” (thus adding fuel to the fire). 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, not getting 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.

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.

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 ( There are estimates - up to 5000, - editor's note) . Bilateral trade came to a complete halt and the border was closed, crippling both economies.

The war, which did not reveal a winner, became “fatal” for wealthy El Salvador. Frozen trade relations with its neighbor 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. An interesting fact is that the El Salvador team, which made it to the World Cup for the first time, did not achieve success, losing all its matches to a clean sheet, and took last place in the tournament.

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 most terrible war in human history, which claimed tens of millions of human lives on 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 losing to the Germans in Moscow in the year of the tenth anniversary of the Great Victory is something that the leaders of our state could not even dream of in their worst nightmare.

One way or another, the match took place. It ended with a victory for 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 - Diego Simeone's provocative actions, which led to the expulsion of David Beckham from the field.

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 “Arrividerci, Italy” and “Sweden-Denmark – 2:2”. These are the pacifists.

Wars have accompanied the entire history of mankind. Some were protracted and lasted for decades. Others walked only a few days, some even less than an hour.

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Yom Kippur War (18 days)

The invasion was carefully prepared and began with an attack by the combined forces of Syria and Egypt during the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur, that is, Judgment Day. On this day in Israel, Jewish believers pray and abstain from food for almost a day.

The military invasion came as a complete surprise to Israel, and for the first two days the advantage was on the side of the Arab coalition. A few days later, the pendulum swung towards Israel, and the country managed to stop the invaders.

The USSR declared support for the coalition and warned Israel of the most dire consequences that would await the country if the war continued. At this time, IDF troops were already standing next to Damascus and 100 km from Cairo. Israel was forced to withdraw its troops.

All hostilities took 18 days. Losses on the part of the Israeli IDF army amounted to about 3,000 dead, on the part of the coalition of Arab countries - about 20,000.

Serbo-Bulgarian War (14 days)

During two weeks of fighting, two and a half thousand people died on both sides of the conflict, and about nine thousand were wounded. Peace was signed in Bucharest on December 7, 1885. As a result of this peace, Bulgaria was declared the formal winner. There was no redistribution of borders, but the de facto unification of Bulgaria with Eastern Rumelia was recognized.

Third Indo-Pakistani War (13 days)

India was interested in weakening its longtime enemy, Pakistan, and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered the deployment of troops. In less than two weeks of fighting, Indian troops achieved their planned goals, East Pakistan received the status of an independent state (now called Bangladesh).

Six Day War

However, even a month before this, the Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser publicly called for the destruction of the Jews as a nation, and in total 7 states united against the small country.

Israel launched a powerful pre-emptive strike on Egyptian airfields and went on the offensive. In six days of confident attack, Israel occupied the entire Sinai Peninsula, Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip. In addition, the territory of East Jerusalem with its shrines, including the Western Wall, was captured.

Israel lost 679 people killed, 61 tanks, 48 ​​aircraft. The Arab side of the conflict lost about 70,000 people killed and a huge amount of military equipment.

Football war (6 days)

As a result, on July 14, 1969, the first military conflict occurred on the border of the two countries. In addition, countries shot down each other's planes, there were several bombings of both El Salvador and Honduras, and there were fierce ground battles. On July 18, the parties agreed to negotiations. By July 20, hostilities ceased.

Both sides suffered greatly in the war, and the economies of El Salvador and Honduras suffered enormous damage. People died, the majority being civilians. Losses in this war have not been calculated; figures range from 2,000 to 6,000 total deaths on both sides.

Agasher War (6 days)

The dispute became acute when

At the end of 1974, the new leader of Burkina Faso decided to end the division of important resources. On December 25, the Mali army launched an attack on Agasher. Burkina Faso troops began to counterattack, but suffered heavy losses.

It was possible to reach negotiations and stop the fire only on December 30th. The parties exchanged prisoners, counted the dead (in total there were about 300 people), but could not divide Agasher. A year later, the UN court decided to divide the disputed territory exactly in half.

Egyptian-Libyan War (4 days)

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi initiated protest marches against Egypt's partnership with the United States and an attempt to establish dialogue with Israel. The action ended with the arrest of several Libyans in neighboring territories. The conflict quickly escalated into hostilities.

Over four days, Libya and Egypt fought several tank and air battles, and two Egyptian divisions occupied the Libyan city of Musaid. Eventually the fighting ended and peace was established through the mediation of third parties. The borders of the states did not change and no fundamental agreements were reached.

Portuguese-Indian War (36 hours)

The fighting lasted 2 days and was carried out from three sides - the territory was bombed from the air, in Mormugan Bay three Indian frigates defeated the small Portuguese fleet, and several divisions invaded Goa on the ground.

Portugal still believes that India's actions were an attack; the other side of the conflict calls this operation a liberation operation. Portugal officially surrendered on December 19, 1961, one and a half days after the start of the war.

Anglo-Zanzibar War (38 minutes)

The Empire demanded that powers be transferred to the English protégé Hamud bin Muhammad. There was a refusal, and early in the morning of August 27, 1896, the British squadron approached the shore of the island and began to wait. At 9.00 the ultimatum put forward by Britain expired: either the authorities surrender their powers, or the ships will begin to fire at the palace. The usurper, who captured the Sultan's residence with a small army, refused.

Two cruisers and three gunboats opened fire minute by minute after the deadline. The only ship of the Zanzibar fleet was sunk, the Sultan's palace turned into flaming ruins. The newly-minted Sultan of Zanzibar fled, and the country’s flag remained flying on the dilapidated palace. In the end, he was shot down by a British admiral. According to international standards, the fall of the flag means surrender.

The entire conflict lasted 38 minutes - from the first shot to the overturned flag. For African history, this episode is considered not so much comical as deeply tragic - 570 people died in this micro-war, all of them were citizens of Zanzibar.

Unfortunately, the duration of the war has nothing to do with its bloodshed or how it will affect life within the country and around the world. War is always a tragedy that leaves an unhealed scar in the national culture.

Some football facts make you think, for example this one, unknown to a wide circle, happened in a country with such a familiar name to us all: HONDURAS!
Surely, all people who are in one way or another interested in football are aware of its importance and influence on a person’s mood, and indeed, on all areas of his life.
However, few people know that in world history there have been matches that later became the reason for real hostilities between entire countries!
As, for example, happened back in 1969.

A seemingly ordinary football match between two Latin American teams marked the beginning of the so-called “Football War,” during which several thousand people died. July 14, 1969 is the official date of the beginning of the military conflict, which lasted 6 days.

Occasion Qualifying matches for the World Cup between the football teams of El Salvador and Honduras led to military conflict.

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 hosts.

The heads of both states were present at the match, so the teams gave their best. The opponents were essentially equal; it was very difficult to give the dominant role to one of the teams in the match.
But despite this, Honduran striker Roberto Cardona managed to score the goal in the final minutes.

This match was also watched by a Sat fan. El Salvador, eighteen-year-old Emilia Balaños, in the city of San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. At the end of the match, Emilia took out her father's pistol and shot herself in the heart. The next morning another episode came out in El Salvador.
publication of the newspaper El Nacional with the headline “She could not stand the shame of her country”(thus adding fuel to the fire).

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, not getting enough sleep, lost miserably to the hosts 3:0.

After the game, riots began 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.

Let's not allow the various Honduras out there to offend our own! Protests in El Salvador.

A retaliatory wave of attacks against Salvadorans swept across Honduras, including two vice-consuls. An unknown number of Salvadorans died or were injured in the attacks, and tens of thousands fled the country.

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.
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. Frozen trade relations with its neighbor 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.

Interesting fact.

Football war

Opponents : El Salvador, Honduras

On the eve of the 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 of the more developed Salvadoran economy.

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 and 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. Frozen trade relations with its neighbor 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.

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