The Football War (also known as 100 Hours War) was a military conflict between Honduras and El Salvador. It was played from 14 to 18 July 1969 after riots and fatalities had occurred in the previous weeks on the fringes of the qualifying matches played by the national football teams from both countries for the 1970 World Cup.
The conflict was fought over the residency of Salvadoran migrants in Honduras. Some 300,000 poor peasant farmers had migrated across the open border from their densely populated Salvadorian homeland to Honduras since the 1950s, often settling on fallow land owned by Honduran landowners. As the Honduran government prepared an agrarian reform that would help local peasants own land, the Salvadorans were increasingly viewed as unwanted invaders and land grabbers. After the Honduran government ordered immigrants to return to El Salvador within 30 days on April 30, 1969, the paramilitary group beganMancha Brava in the middle of the year with violent attacks and expulsions.
Viewing the forced return of the migrants as unacceptable, the government of El Salvador protested. While nationalist resentment grew on both sides. At that time Honduras had about 1.9 million inhabitants with a size of 112,000 km² and El Salvador had about 2.5 million inhabitants with a size of 21,400 km².
The outbreak
On July 14, 1969, the Salvadoran government began the war. In the form of air raids on Honduran territory, followed by the invasion of ground forces. There was no formal declaration of war. The Honduran Air Force responded by attacking targets in El Salvador, but failed to repel the invasion.
The looming defeat of the Honduran army prompted the Organization of American States (OAS) to intervene in the conflict. With threats of sanctions, on July 18, 1969, the fifth day they forced the end of the fighting. The armed conflict only lasted around 100 hours.
On July 29, 1969, the Salvadoran government, identified by the OAS as the aggressor. Who had to agree to the withdrawal of its troops without fulfilling its most important request. To stop the expulsion of immigrants. On August 4, 1969, the last soldiers left Honduras. The war cost the lives of 2,100 people and wounded another 6,000.
