The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is between the majority Sinhala-speaking Buddhists and minority Tamils (mostly Hindu). For over twenty years there has been on-and-off civil war, mostly between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or the LTTE, who want to create an independent Tamil Eelam state in the northeast of the island. It is estimated that the war has left 65,000 people dead and the number displaced was 1.6 million. Terrorism in Sri Lanka began in 1970 with the formation of a militant student body called the "Tamil Students Movement" to protest government plans to limit access of Tamil students to universities. Very soon this movement went underground and turned to overt terrorist activities. Violence escalated in Jaffna from 1972 onwards up to 1983, when countrywide riots and clashes between Sinhalese and Tamils left thousands of Tamils dead and several hundred thousand as refugees. Large number of Government forces were deployed in the north and east provinces. This period marks the beginning of the LTTE guerrilla campaign that includes the use of terrorist tactics against the Sri Lankan Government. Hostilities came to a temporary end in 1995, when the parties announced a cease-fire. The peace was shattered, however, after only three months with heavy casualties on both sides. On February 2003, a new cease-fire agreement was signed brokered by Norway, but since then both parties have reported thousands of violations while the savage civil war continued on.

On December 26, 2004 the country was devastated by the tsunami disaster forcing both sides to lay down their weapons in a cease fire and overcome the biggest natural disaster in history to date. Shortly after a new fight began regarding the distribution of Aid, leaving little room for hope or peace. On July 2005 Football Without Boundaries began the negotiations regarding a peaceful football (soccer) match with The Football Federation and the Ministry of Sports of Sri Lanka as well as the Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE, hoping to promote peace through sports. Our organization strongly believes that despite the current political turmoil, people are still the victims of an unwanted war and they would be willing to came together and play the match. The game between Sinhalese and Tamil tsunami survivors was scheduled for August 20 at the Jaffna stadium and the player’s selection began. But the week prior to the game violence escalated. The Sri Lankan Superintendent of Police was brutally killed in Jaffna, followed by the assassination of the Foreign Affairs Minister, forcing the government to issue a curfew and a State of Emergency throughout the country. The game was cancelled then postponed, but thanks to the courage of the athletes the war went on hold for a football (soccer) match. Players from five different religions shared one love and united the country for 90 minutes.