Salernitana players hospitalised with food poisoning after Samp play-off

ROME: Salernitana players have been hospitalised with food poisoning after returning south from a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their Serie B relegation play-off with Sampdoria.

Salernitana said on Monday that training had been cancelled after 21 people among the playing and training staff picked up “serious food poisoning” which caused illness during Sunday´s trip back to Salerno from northern port city Genoa.

“The situation required the intervention of ambulances on arrival at Salerno airport and the hospitalisation of a significant number of those concerned,” added Salernitana. Italian media report that 16 people were hospitalised, eight of them from the playing squad, and that police had visited the hotel where Salernitana players stayed ahead of the first leg and which prepared the team´s in-flight meal for the return to Salerno.

Samp were relegated to the third tier for the first time in their history last month, only to be saved by a points deduction for Brescia which bumped the 1991 Italian champions into one of the division´s two relegation play-off positions.