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Liga Nacional
Season	1996–97
Dates	31 August 1996–29 June 1997
Champions	Olimpia (13th)
CONCACAF Champions' Cup	Olimpia; Platense
Matches played	149
Goals scored	314 (2.11 per match)
Top goalscorer	Costa (13)
Biggest home win	MOT 7–2 IND
Biggest away win	MAR 0–3 RES
Highest scoring	MOT 7–2 IND
	← 1995–96 1997–98 → All statistics correct as of 29 June 1997.

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 title^[1] 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

Regular season

Standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Olimpia	27	15	6	6	40	25	+15	51	Qualified to the Final
2	Victoria	27	13	8	6	35	24	+11	47	Qualified to the Final round
3	Platense	27	13	8	6	28	20	+8	47
4	Motagua	27	11	9	7	37	25	+12	42
5	Marathón	27	10	7	10	31	29	+2	37
6	Real España	27	8	10	9	24	24	0	34
7	Universidad	27	6	10	11	17	27	−10	28
8	Vida	27	7	7	13	21	33	−12	28
9	Real Maya	27	5	11	11	20	27	−7	26
10	Independiente Villela	27	5	8	14	24	43	−19	23	No relegation for this season

Updated to match(es) played on 6 April 1997. Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Results (Rounds 1–18)

Home \ Away	IND	MAR	MOT	OLI	PLA	RES	MAY	UNI	VIC	VID
Independiente Villela		0–1	0–1	1–0	0–0	0–2	2–0	0–0	2–1	2–0
Marathón	2–1		1–1	1–2	2–0	0–3	0–0	4–0	1–3	2–1
Motagua	4–1	2–1		1–3	1–1	2–1	1–2	1–0	1–1	3–0
Olimpia	5–1	0–1	0–0		2–0	0–0	1–0	1–0	3–5	2–1
Platense	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–1		2–1	1–0	2–0	1–0	1–1
Real España	1–0	0–0	1–0	1–1	0–0		1–1	2–1	1–1	1–0
Real Maya	1–1	1–1	0–0	0–0	0–2	2–0		0–1	1–1	1–2
Universidad	1–1	1–0	2–1	1–2	1–0	0–1	0–1		1–1	0–0
Victoria	1–0	1–0	2–2	1–2	1–0	2–1	1–0	1–1		1–0
Vida	0–0	1–1	2–1	1–2	0–1	2–1	1–1	0–1	1–1

Source: RSSSF.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Marathón–Olimpia abandoned at '70 (1–2). Result stood.

Results (Rounds 19–27)

Home \ Away	IND	MAR	MOT	OLI	PLA	RES	MAY	UNI	VIC	VID
Independiente Villela		0–3		1–3	1–1		4–1			1–2
Marathón				2–3				1–0	0–0
Motagua	7–2	1–0					1–1	2–0	0–2
Olimpia			0–0			2–0	2–1			1–0
Platense		1–2	1–0	1–0		1–1				2–0
Real España	2–2	0–0	0–1				1–0	1–1
Real Maya		3–1			0–1			0–0	2–0	1–1
Universidad	1–1			2–2	1–1				1–0
Victoria	1–0			1–0	3–0	2–1				1–2
Vida		1–3	0–2			1–0		1–0

Source: RSSSF.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Final round

Hexagonal

3 May 1997 1st leg	Real España	1–1	Olimpia	San Pedro Sula, Cortés
				Stadium: Estadio Francisco Morazán

11 May 1997 2nd leg	Olimpia	1–2	Real España	Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán
	Caballero		Mariano Mendieta	Stadium: Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino

Real España won 3–2 on aggregated.

3 May 1997 1st leg	Marathón	2–0	Victoria	San Pedro Sula, Cortés
				Stadium: Estadio Francisco Morazán

10 May 1997 2nd leg	Victoria	2–0	Marathón	La Ceiba, Atlántida
				Stadium: Estadio Nilmo Edwards

Victoria 2–2 Marathón on aggregated. Victoria advanced on better Regular season record.

4 May 1997 1st leg	Motagua	2–2	Platense	Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán
	Costa Soares		Fernández Duarte	Stadium: Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino

11 May 1997 2nd leg	Platense	2–1	Motagua	Puerto Cortés, Cortés
	Cárcamo			Stadium: Estadio Excélsior

Platense won 4–3 on aggregated.

Triangular

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Platense	4	3	0	1	8	3	+5	9	Qualified to the Final
2	Victoria	4	2	1	1	5	6	−1	7
3	Real España	4	0	1	3	3	7	−4	1

Updated to match(es) played on 11 June 1997. Source: ^{[citation needed]}

16 May 1997	Real España	1–1	Victoria	San Pedro Sula, Cortés
				Stadium: Estadio Francisco Morazán

24 May 1997	Victoria	1–0	Platense	La Ceiba, Atlántida
				Stadium: Estadio Nilmo Edwards

1 June 1997	Platense	3–1	Real España	Puerto Cortés, Cortés
				Stadium: Estadio Excélsior

4 June 1997	Victoria	2–1	Real España	La Ceiba, Atlántida
	Martínez Naif		Gómez	Stadium: Estadio Nilmo Edwards

8 June 1997	Platense	4–1	Victoria	Puerto Cortés, Cortés
				Stadium: Estadio Excélsior

11 June 1997	Real España	0–1	Platense	San Pedro Sula, Cortés
				Stadium: Estadio Francisco Morazán

Final

22 June 1997 1st leg	Platense	1–1	Olimpia	Puerto Cortés, Cortés
	Cárcamo 90'		17' Williams	Stadium: Estadio Excélsior

29 June 1997 2nd leg	Olimpia	3–0	Platense	Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán
	Flores 10' Velásquez 25' 62'			Stadium: Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino

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.^[2]
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.