Football in Honduras
Encyclopedia
Association
The Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de HondurasFederación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras
The Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras is the official football organization in Honduras and is in charge of the Honduran national team. FENAFUTH was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in the same year. Ten years later it joined CONCACAF.-External links:* at FIFA site*...
(FENAFUTH) is the governing body of football in Honduras. The FENAFUTH was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
in the same year. Ten years later it joined CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
.
Arrival of football in Honduras
There are many theories on how football started practice in Honduras. In the Atlantic Cost, caused by the increasing exportation of bananas in the cities of La CeibaLa Ceiba
La Ceiba is a port city on the northern coast of Honduras in Central America. It is located on the southern edge of the Caribbean, forming part of the south eastern boundary of the Gulf of Honduras...
and Tela
Tela
Tela is a town in Honduras on the northern Caribbean coast. It is located in the department of Atlantida.-History:Tela was founded by the Spanish conquistador Cristóbal de Olid on 3 May 1524 near an indigenous town named Tehuacán, ruled by a cacique named Cucumba which had a very good source of...
in that time they were the most important ports of the country.
Julio Luis Ustariz, a son of French immigrants wrote some memories that some merchants gave him a soccer ball in 1896 as a gift in Puerto Cortes
Puerto Cortés
-Geography:It is on the Caribbean Sea coast, north of San Pedro Sula and east of Omoa, at 15.85° N, 87.94° W. It has a natural bay.It is Honduras's main sea port and it is considered the most important seaport in Central America...
. Since then soccer had been in practice in Honduras.
But until 1906 an official document by the republic's government hired a Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n professor named Miguel Saravia to teach soccer at the Escuela Normal de Varones in Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
. In 1909, three years after the arrival of the professor Saravia; the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
monk Niglia made soccer appear at the Instituto Salesiano San Miguel in Comayagua
Comayagua
Comayagua is a city in Honduras, some 80 km northwest of Tegucigalpa on the highway to San Pedro Sula at an elevation of 594 meters above sea level. In 2003 the estimated population was 60,000 people. It is the capital of the Comayagua department of Honduras. The city is noted for its wealth...
.
Football became popular, especially in higher classes, although it couldn't compete against baseball which at the time was the most popular sport until 1917. The team known as Juventud Olimpica founded in 1912 became Club Deportivo Olimpia
Club Deportivo Olimpia
Club Deportivo Olimpia is a Honduran football and baseball club based in Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán. They compete in the Liga Nacional de Honduras, the top division in the country, and play their home matches in the Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino...
.
Like Olimpia other clubs were founded in Tegucigalpa, like the teams Lituania, Signos, Trebol, Honduras, Atletico Deportes, La Nueva Era, Colon and Spring, all of which don't exist now.
It was until 1925 which football became to gain strength in the second most important city, San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
with the foundation of Club Deportivo Marathón
Club Deportivo Marathón
Club Deportivo Marathón is an Honduran football club which currently plays in the in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras in San Pedro Sula.-History:...
. For some historians of that era, before Marathon (was named after a rugby ball) there was a club named Club Patria but with very small amount of duracion, the president of the Republic, Dr. Miguel Paz Barahona
Miguel Paz Barahona
Miguel Paz Barahona was President of Honduras from 1 February 1925 to 1 February 1929. Barahona was a member of the National Party of Honduras .The PNH nominated Barahona as their presidential candidate in 1924...
named the sporting fields Patria Marathon.
The year 1926 a team surged which was were a lot of good players and for many, the real birth of what is now today Olimpia, Argentina and Espana (known as los Tejeros) which had a training camp at Barrio Guanacaste, Tegucigalpa.
In the year 1928 Club Deportivo Motagua
Club Deportivo Motagua
Club Deportivo Motagua is a Honduran football club, located in Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, and plays in the Honduran top division at the Estadio Nacional. The club is one of the most successful and renowned of Honduras...
was born, the name was given since at the time the river Motagua was being in dispute between Guatemala and Honduras. The enthusiastic Dr. Marco Antonio Ponce and the writer and poet Marco Antonio Rosa decided name "Motagua" for the disappearance of "America Aguila" and "Honduras Atletica"
In San Pedro Sula, a year later 1929 España (known since 1977 as Real Club Deportivo España) was founded.
History of the league
In the 1930s, soccer experienced a surge in popularity in the country. In 1948 with the birth of the Francisco Morazán Major Football League, the idea to organize football began to take shape.Olimpia, Federal, Motagua, Argentina and Real España are the pioneers of the Liga Mayor. In 1948 the first championship began in the recently inaugurated Estadio Tiburcio Carias Andino as Victoria were made champions by beating Motagua; and three years later, in 1951, they repeated the trick. Due to the high support the League received at this time, the Confederacy Sports School Extra of Honduras {F.N.D.E.H.} was founded.
The cancellation of the court of the Stadium "Municipal" of San Pedro Sula was the catalyst that caused the sport's leaders of the northern and central parts of Honduras to join forces and caused the disappearance of the F.N.D.E.H.
On March 8, 1951, Juan Manuel Galvez gave life to the F.N.D.E.H. when he signed the presidential decree I number 97 and he vouched for the execution of the first Sports Congress that was carried out in the installations of the abandoned "National Gymnasium Rubén Alleys Valentine".
A decade after the creation of the F.N.D.E.H. and under the leadership of Hémerito F. Hernández, and also under Féderico Bunker Aguilar who had pioneered CONCACAF's creation at the same time, the idea to create the First National League of Soccer took shape between 1962 and 1963. Thanks in part to the aid of executives such as Alejandro Talbott that had studied in Mexico, the structure of that country's league was copied. On Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 April, 1964 the 15th National Congress created the league. The 15th National Congress also started the National League Not Fan of Honduras, LINAFUTH, that was founded May 10, that year.
The president of the Sports Confederacy was Oscar Kafati and the secretary was journalist Andrés Towers Son. Severa teams sent delegates. These included Olimpia, Troya, España, Honduras de El Progreso, Vida, Marathón, Motagua, La Salle, and Atlético Español Glidden. Those delegates were chosen to be to the first Provisional Board of Directors that remained headed by: President Oscar Lara Mejía, Secretary: José T. Castañeda, Treasurer: Jesus J. Handal, Fiscal: Humberto Soriano Aguilar and vocal: Oscar Kirckonell, Alfredo Bueso, René Bendeck.
The first date of the new National League was July 18, 1965, with the following results: Olimpia 3:0 Marathón; España 1:0 Troya; Honduras 3:0 Atlético Español; Vida 4:1 Motagua; and Platense 6:2 La Salle. Pedro Deras of El Progreso de Honduras was the first scorer of the National League in the 5th minute against Atlético Español. Platense was the first professional champion of Honduras winning the three rounds; and Atlético Español finished last, but there was no relegation.
The actual teams of the first division are (alphabetically): Deportes Savio, Hispano, Marathón
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
, Motagua, Olimpia
Olimpia
- Sports teams :*Club Deportivo Olimpia, a football team from Honduras*Club Olimpia, a football team from Asunción, Paraguay*Olímpia Futebol Clube, a football team from Brazil*Olimpia Elbląg, a football team from Elbląg, Poland...
, Platense, Real España, Real Juventud, Victoria, and Vida.
An interesting fact is that Real España is the only non-Spanish club that has been condecorated by the Spanish royalty (which is the origin of the "Real" part in Real España). That means that Real España is just as royal or "Real" than Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
, Real Mallorca, and others. Nevertheless, Real Juventud included that part in the team's name without receiving any condecoration.
National League
The Liga Nacional de Fútbol de HondurasLiga Nacional de Futbol de Honduras
Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional de Honduras is the first and highest division of football in Honduras. The league season is divided into Opening and Closing . One team is relegated to the Liga de Ascenso and one team is promoted from Liga de Ascenso...
is the highest league in Honduran football and has 10 member clubs, the next two leagues are Liga de Ascenso and Liga Mayor
Liga Mayor de Futbol de Honduras
Liga Mayor de Honduras is the third division of football in Honduras. The champion is promoted to Liga de Ascenso de Honduras.-Teams:There are many groups within each department...
. Winning the Liga Nacional is considered the greatest honour in Honduran football and guarantees qualification for the CONCACAF Champions League
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region ....
, the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
region. The National League was founded in 1965.
Defunct competitions
Some defunct National competitions include:- Honduran Cup
- Honduran Super Cup
- Liga Amateur de HondurasLiga Amateur de HondurasLiga Amateur de Honduras was previous to the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras. It ran from 1948 to 1964.-Champions:-Titles by club:...
Qualification for international competitions
Clubs who win the leagueLiga Nacional de Futbol de Honduras
Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional de Honduras is the first and highest division of football in Honduras. The league season is divided into Opening and Closing . One team is relegated to the Liga de Ascenso and one team is promoted from Liga de Ascenso...
can qualify to compete in the CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
competitions in the following season. Currently, Honduras is awarded the following places in North American competitions:
| Competition | Who qualifies? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CONCACAF Champions League CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region .... |
Champion and Runners-up | Club that won opening tournament and club the won closing tournament. In the case if the same club wins both tournaments the club with the highest points accumulated with the two tournaments is declared runner-up. |
National team
The Catrachos played in the very first international football match at Guatemala CityGuatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
, against Guatemala
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
in 1921. Their greatest triumphs to date were qualifying to the World Cup 1982
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
and to the World Cup 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
Young teams
- Honduras national under-23 football teamHonduras national under-23 football teamThe Honduras national under-23 football team represents Honduras in international football competitions in Olympic Games, as well as in under–23 football tournaments. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except three over-age players...
- Honduras national under-20 football team
- Honduras national under-17 football team
Records
- In the 1969 season Olimpia became the only Honduran team to complete a season undefeated.
- In the 1970s Real España became the first "Tri-Campeon" in Honduras becoming champions in the years 1974, 1975, 1976.
- In 1972 Olimpia defeated SurinameSurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
se SV RobinhoodSV RobinhoodSporting Vereniging Robinhood is a Surinamese football club based in Paramaribo that competes in the Surinamese Hoofdklasse, the highest level of football in Suriname. Founded on 6 February 1945, Robinhood is the most successful club in Surinamese football, having won a record 23 league titles, and...
1-0 making them continental champions. - In the years 1980, 1981, 1982 both Olimpia and Real Espana became Central American Champions defeating the GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n teams CSD Comunicaciones, Aurora FCAurora FCAurora Fútbol Club are a Guatemalan professional football club. Once one of the most powerful teams in the country, the team has now been relegated to a lower division...
and CSD Xelajú M.C. - In 1982 the Honduras national football teamHonduras national football teamThe Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
achieved the qualification to their first FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, qualifying in first place of the group. In the 1982 FIFA World Cup1982 FIFA World CupThe 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
Honduras made a surprising debut against host nation SpainSpain national football teamThe Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
drawing 1-1. In the next match Honduras dew with Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland national football teamThe Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
1-1 giving them the only 2 points in the group. Finally they lost 1-0 against YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. - In 1988 Olimpia defeated TrinitarianTrinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
Defence Force 4-0 crowning themselves continental champions for the second time. - Olimpia became two time consecutive champion of the UNCAF Club Torunament for the second time defeating Liga Deportiva Alajuelense twice.
- In 2000 Olimpia became runner-up in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup winning all matches except the finals against Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles GalaxyThe Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
qualifying for the 2001 FIFA Club World Championship2001 FIFA Club World ChampionshipThe 2001 FIFA Club World Championship was a football tournament arranged by FIFA to take place in Spain. This was cancelled owing to a combination of factors, most importantly the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner ISL.-Teams:...
although the tournament wasn't played due to bankruptcy by FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
partner's ISLISLThere are several expansions of the abbreviation ISL:* International Sign Language* Formally,* Informally, ISL can refer to Irish Sign Language* More formally, ISL is the SIL code for Israeli Sign Language...
. Olimpia would have played PalmeirasSociedade Esportiva PalmeirasSociedade Esportiva Palmeiras is a Brazilian football club from São Paulo. The club was founded on August 26, 1914, as Palestra Italia but changed to the current name on September 14, 1942...
1999 CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores winners, GalatasarayGalatasaray S.K. (football team)Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
1999/2000 UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
winners and Al-HilalAl-HilalAl-Hilal Saudi Football Club , also known simply as Al-Hilal, is a Saudi Arabian sports club based in the country's capital of Riyadh and best known for its professional football team, known as Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club...
, 2000 AFC Champions LeagueAFC Champions LeagueThe AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
winners. - In 2001 the Honduras national football teamHonduras national football teamThe Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
were ranked #22 in the world; the highest position ever for HondurasHondurasHonduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. This was when the team achieved 3rd place at the 2001 Copa America and defeated BrazilBrazil national football teamThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
on their way. They also almost made their second world cup appearance. - In 2002 Honduras almost qualified to the world cup which they needed to draw or win a home match against Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago national football teamThe Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
but they lost 1-0 meaning that Honduras had to defeat or draw against MexicoMexico national football teamThe Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
in Estadio AztecaEstadio AztecaEstadio Azteca is a stadium in Santa Ursula, Mexico City, Mexico. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Club América.The stadium was the venue for football soccer in the 1968 Summer Olympics....
. A 3-0 meant Honduras did not qualify for the 2002 World Cup - The years 2004 through 2006 were some of the best years for Olimpia since they achieved what Real España achieved in the 1970s that is becoming three time consecutive winner or "Tri-Campeon".
- In 2007 C.D. Motagua became Central American champions with a 1-0 win over Deportivo Saprissa in Tegucigalpa.
- Tha teams from TegucigalpaTegucigalpaTegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
are the teams that have won the league more times; OlimpiaOlimpia- Sports teams :*Club Deportivo Olimpia, a football team from Honduras*Club Olimpia, a football team from Asunción, Paraguay*Olímpia Futebol Clube, a football team from Brazil*Olimpia Elbląg, a football team from Elbląg, Poland...
with 22 titles, and Motagua with 11.