Honduran footballers go five months without pay: "What we are experiencing is inhumane"

• Players from Club Deportivo Victoria, who compete in Honduras’ top division, have gone five months without receiving their salaries
• The Honduran footballers’ union AFHO has provided them with free legal assistance and organised a charity match to raise funds
• FIFPRO spoke with Marcelo Espinal, captain of the affected team

Players forced to look for other jobs and miss training sessions to earn money, players borrowing from friends and family, and others who have chosen to leave the club altogether – this is the harsh reality faced by the squad of Club Deportivo Victoria in the Honduran Professional League after accumulating up to five months of unpaid wages.

“What we are living through is unsustainable; it’s inhumane,” team captain Marcelo Espinal told FIFPRO.org. “This is no way to treat a human being – first as a person, and then as a player.”

Espinal has taken responsibility for speaking with the club’s president to reach a solution. However, he admits that “for several days now, dialogue has not been good.” “The situation is tense,” he adds.

The explanations from the club’s directors have fallen short. “They tell us there is no money, that the television company holding the broadcasting rights didn’t pay for the last semester, and that there isn’t enough income to pay us. In short, they have no funds.

“Several team-mates have had to borrow money or take weeks away from training to work elsewhere and support their families. Most of us are our families’ main source of income. That’s how we’ve had to live this semester.”

Espinal adds: “There are also team-mates who couldn’t take it anymore and terminated their contracts.”

In addition to the players, the club also owes up to six months of wages to the technical and medical staff, led by head coach John Jairo Lopez.

The team is no longer competing this season after failing to qualify for the second round of the tournament, which features the top six teams in the standings. In fact, as a form of protest to demand payment, the players did not show up for their final match. The squad is expected to be called back at the end of December or beginning of January to begin pre-season preparations for the 2026 campaign.

The Solidarity Match, an initiative by the Honduran players’ union AFHO

CD Victoria’s traditional rivals are Club Deportivo y Social Vida, both based in the city of La Ceiba, located about seven hours by road from the capital, Tegucigalpa. This historic derby had not been played in over a year due to Vida’s relegation. However, the Honduran players’ union AFHO proposed organising a Clasico Ceibeno to raise funds for the affected players.

Carlos Alvarado, president of AFHO, who has supported the team both legally and personally throughout this period, explained how the idea came together.

“I lived through this myself as a player here in Honduras. I once spent Christmas without being paid a single cent. A week ago, I said, ‘We have to do something.’ I spoke with Marcelo, got approval from CDS Vida, contacted the mayor to help us secure the stadium, and involved local and national television. It was a huge collective effort. We managed to bring together nearly 2,000 spectators, more than Victoria had drawn all year. Ticket prices were reasonable, and for us, it was a success.”

For captain Espinal, who expressed gratitude to Vida’s players for taking part, the match provided a rare moment of joy amid the frustration of unpaid wages.

“Only those who have played football, or who have lived in this environment, know how much football can take away your sadness during those moments – when you arrive at the dressing room, play, and take a shower afterwards. Football makes you forget everything, even if just for a while, and that’s incredibly important. The atmosphere was one of happiness and camaraderie. We greeted our rivals because we’re already friends. Rivalry takes a back seat when it’s for a cause like this.”

AFHO plans to organise another derby in the coming weeks, this time with a trophy at stake, an idea that greatly excites Espinal.

“People were very receptive and supportive the first time. I can’t imagine what we’ll be able to achieve with the next one,” he says, before thanking AFHO for its continued involvement throughout the dispute.

“They’ve advised us legally, intervened with the board and the league, and above all, they’ve done it at no cost. That means a lot given the situation we’re in.”

According to AFHO president Alvarado, “Unfortunately, the board of directors of Club Deportivo Victoria has not managed its budget properly, and this has led to the regrettable situation the players are now facing.”

Beyond organising another match, with more time for planning and promotion, the union aims to “see how we can further help the Victoria players and also offer ideas to the board, which is currently undergoing a process of change.”

Alvarado believes that raising awareness about the case highlights an essential message: “The union is here to defend Honduran footballers and help them grow, both personally and professionally.”