Football has a history of many wars and riots. However, another story in the background of the Mexican World Cup is the history of the outbreak of a war. North American neighbors Honduras and El Salvador competed in the same group in the qualifying round. The battle intensified when the arch-neighbors clashed on the playground. Although five times the size of El Salvador, Honduras was a small country in terms of population. Because of this, in the 1960s El Salvadorans migrated to the neighboring country en masse. There he worked as a farmer and gave green to life.
Hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans have immigrated to Honduras in recent years. However, the arrival of new heirs to the land and the increase in the number of neighbors led to hatred in Honduras. It was the continuation of the match in the World Cup Qualifying Round that erupted over the years. On June 8, 1969, Honduras won the first leg 1-0 at home. A week later El Salvador also won in their home match. Just then, riots and looting began in both countries. On June 27, Mexico was the venue for the Apple Off competition.
A last-minute goal sealed victory for El Salvador in a game that went into overtime. But Honduras was not ready to accept this. They approached FIFA with a complaint. The two groups of fans clashed outside the stadium. In Honduras, there were widespread attacks and riots once morest El Salvadoran migrants. That same night, El Salvador severed diplomatic relations with its neighbors and declared a state of emergency in the country. Both countries have deployed their armies along the borders.
The violence continued. into mutually provoking moves. Finally, on the night of July 14, the Salvadoran army invaded Honduras, and the war on football reached its climax. The battle lasted for three days, destroying each other. Finally, with the intervention of countries including the United Nations and the United States, a ceasefire was announced at the 100th hour. However, thousands were killed in the meantime. About a thousand soldiers lost their lives. About half a lakh people suffered. The scars of the war lasted for decades. Neighboring countries that had maintained close friendship thus became enemies. Later, they forgot everything and made history in front of the world once once more through another football match.