Soccer and the Christmas Truce of 1914

As JAFO is fond of saying, and is correct ... Soccer Is Life.

For those who have not read the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 please take a few moments and read the linked story and materials. It is an amazing piece of history.

While today, war is a part of life, and for some, sadly, a way of life, this story gives me hope that it does not have to be that way forever.

One interesting note for me was the fact that there were no referees for these matches. This fact continues to strengthen my conviction that referees are really just surplus for THE game anyway as it belongs to the players.

Please note the early release time of this one, as if you are in the same boat as me, you have screaming kids already up and tearing up the house. Nothing better.

Merry Christmas to all!!

Soccer and the Christmas Truce of 1914

It’s can be difficult to explain to one’s fellow non-soccer-loving Americans just how powerful a force the game of soccer is in the world.

For example, soccer can be the spark that ignites the flames of war.

In an already existing atmosphere of heightened political tensions over the borders between El Salvador and Honduras, the qualifying matches for the 1970 World Cup between those two countries led to La guerra del fútbol or “The Football War.” After 100 hours of combat some 3,000 soldiers and civilians were dead and hundreds of thousands of civilians had been displaced. After the war, because each country had won the home leg of their qualifiers, a play-off had to be played, which El Salvador won. They didn’t make it out of the group stages of the World Cup in Mexico and some four decades later the demarcation of the new borders between the two countries has yet to be formalized.

Or, soccer can be the symbol that finally turns the page on a long ended war. ...

Full story continues here, courtesy of The Philly Soccer Page.