El Salvador suspends league after tragedy

The Salvadoran Football Federation and its teams decided on Wednesday to suspend the national championship after a stampede left 12 dead on Saturday at a stadium.

"We have decided to call an end to the National Championship 2022-23", announced the statement, "This measure was taken in consideration of the facts and the need to guarantee the safety of the facilities", they added.

"There won't be a champion of the tournament", said the federation. Consequently, the Federation will propose that the 2022 champions and runners-up, FAS and Jocoro, as well as the top-ranked Aguila club in the 2023 championship, represent El Salvador in the next CONCACAF tournament.

This decision displeased the Salvadoran footballers. In a press release, a collective called 'United Players' urged the federation to "reconsider the decision (...), to take our opinion into account for the first time and to respect our right to work". The end of the championship "is a hasty measure", they lamented, believing that "immediate solutions" could be found to the security problems in the stadiums.

At least 12 people were killed and 500 injured in a stampede at San Salvador's 35,000-capacity Cuscatlan stadium on Saturday at the start of a first division match between local team Alianza and FAS CD.

The Alianza club was held responsible for the accident and received a one-year ban of matches behind closed doors by the federation. According to the authorities, a possible sale of counterfeit tickets or a sale of surplus tickets could be at the origin of the tragedy, as many people tried to force their way into the already overcrowded stadium.