The 1996–97 Honduran Liga Nacional season was the 31st edition of the Honduran Liga Nacional. The format of the tournament remained the same as the previous season. Club Deportivo Olimpia won the titleRSSSF.com – Honduras 1996/97 – 11 December 2009 after defeating C.D. Platense in the finals. Both teams qualified to the 1998 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. This was the last long-season tournament before the introduction of the Apertura and Clausura format.
1996–97 teams
Independiente Villela Marathón Motagua Olimpia Platense Real España Real Maya Universidad (promoted) Victoria Vida
Regular season Standings
Results (Rounds 1–18)
Marathón–Olimpia abandoned at '70 (1–2). Result stood.
Results (Rounds 19–27)
Final round Hexagonal
Real España won 3–2 on aggregated.
Victoria 2–2 Marathón on aggregated. Victoria advanced on better Regular season record.
Platense won 4–3 on aggregated.
Triangular
Final
Olimpia won 4–1 on aggregated.
Top scorer Denilson Costa (Motagua) with 13 goals
Squads Independiente Villela José Lino Casildo Walter "Gualala" Trejo Reynaldo "Chino" Pineda Mauricio Edgardo Figueroa José Ulloa Villatoro Oscar "Pando" Gómez Washington Leonardo Rodríguez Edgardo Emilson Soto Fajardo Sandro Andreani Alex Roberto Bailey Marathón Dangelo Daltino Bautista Luis Orlando "El Chinito" Reyes Ciro Paulino "Palic" Castillo Bayron Suazo Behiker Bustillo Jorge Ferdín Jose Christiano Pinheiro de Araujo Marco da Silva Edwin Alexander Medina Pompilio Cacho Valerio Octavio Santana Luis Perdomo Jurandir de Jesús Damacena Motagua Elvis Misael Castellanos Denilson Costa de Oliveira Juan Carlos Raudales Dangelo Bautista Javier Padilla Fabricio "Amapala" Pérez Aron Hernández Henan Centeno Edgar Sierra Puerto Oscar "olanchano" Duarte Oscar "Chicano" Lagos Ramon Romero "Romerito" Francisco Soares de Souza Olimpia Eugenio Dolmo Flores Carlos Enrique Prono Jorge Samuel Caballero Rudy Alberto Williams Norberto Martínez Nahúm Espinoza Zerón Álvaro Roberto Izquierdo Marlon "Pitufo" Hernández Wilmer Peralta Gregorio Serrano Merlyn Membreño Nahamán González Wilmer Neal "Matador" Velásquez Alex Pineda Chacón Eduardo Arriola Christian Santamaría Platense Rodolfo Vargas Ricardo James Oscar René Contreras Alexander "Araña" Clark José Anthony Torres Rony Morales Julio César "Rambo" León José Luis Piota Wilmer Sandoval Dennis Centeno Antonio "Aguja" Laing Luis Perdomo Robel Bernárdez Miguel Fernández Marco Antonio Mejía Dodsin Díaz Reynaldo Clavasquín Alexis Iván Duarte Juan Manuel Cárcamo Roberto Bernárdez Jorge Arita Neals Carlos González Abel Rodríguez Alex Geovany Ávila Edgar Álvarez Alex Alaniz Real España Wilmer Enrique "Supermán" Cruz José Mauricio "Guicho" Fúnez Barrientos Gustavo Adolfo Gallegos Víctor Martín Castro Miguel Angel "Gallo" Mariano Camilo Bonilla Paz Washington Leonardo "Piojo" Hernández Milton "Chocolate" Flores Marco Vinicio "Chacal" Ortega Marlon Javier Monge Edward "Güicho" Barahona Edgar Antonio Figueroa Real Maya Nelson Rolando Rosales Edgardo Geovany "Yura" Róchez Juan Fernando Palacios Luis Lagos David Cárcamo Lenin Suarez Alex Güity Reynaldo Sanson Gerardo Andino Neptalí Funez Erick "Misquito" Brown Gerard Gordon Hector Amaya Nelson Palomo Leroy Wood Universidad Marvin "Mango" Henríquez Marco Antonio Anariba Juan Alberto Flores Maradiaga Marco Antonio Lagos Troy Anderson Danery Berrios Enrique Espinoza Omar Vidal Rony Zelaya Juan Jose Craniotis Jorge "Avioneta" Martinez Javier Flores Wilberto Maradiaga Eduardo Sosa M Sosa Victoria Raúl Martínez Sambulá Percival Piggott Renán "Chimbo" Aguilera Henan Funez Jorge Ernesto Pineda Juan Pablo Centeno Javier Martínez Miguel Arcángel Güity Erick Fu Jose Garcia Geovanny Alarcón Alejandro Naif Juan Carlos Suárez Renan Bengoché Vida Carlos Roberto Padilla Carlos Matamoros Franklin Walter Rossel Cacho Irineo Núñez Carlos Alvarado Pastor Martinez Fernando Dolmo Nigel Zuniga Mauro "La Pica" Rivas Raul Dolmo Carlos "Monchin" Rodríguez Dennis Piedy Clayd Lester Marson Walter Argueta René Arturo David "Pupa" Martínez
Controversies On 12 October 1996, during a week 7 match between C.D. Marathón and Club Deportivo Olimpia, then Marathón's president José Yacamán ordered his team to quit the game as he claimed that they were being targeted by referee Arturo Tábora with controversial calls. The game was not resumed and the result stood 1–2 to Olimpia.RadioHouse.hn – CASOS INSÓLITOS DEL FÚTBOL HONDUREÑO – 13 October 2016 In the last round, C.D. Motagua defeated Independiente Villela at Tegucigalpa with a 7–2 score. This game sentenced Independiente to certain relegation. However, the Chorizeros protested that Motagua had included defender Júnior Izaguirre in its lineup. Izaguirre, who was on the bench that day, saw a red card in a reserves game a week prior. In order to avoid further conflicts, the league decided to abolish relegation and invited Independiente to play in the 1997–98 season.
References