The Columbus Crew SC’s recent loss in the CONCACAF Champions Cup soccer final against Pachuca has been overshadowed by allegations of potential misconduct, reports The Athletic, the sports department of The New York Times. In the aftermath of their 3-0 defeat, the Crew’s leadership suggested that the widespread illness that afflicted their players and staff in the days leading up to the match could have been the result of “subterfuge.”
According to the article, Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy said that a significant portion of his team suffered from food poisoning, with many players experiencing diarrhea and other symptoms in the 48 hours before the final. “My players gave everything knowing that they were sick,” Nancy told reporters. “All the team had diarrhea since yesterday, the staff also.”
This revelation prompted speculation from Crew president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko, who stated that he couldn’t “rule out subterfuge” when asked if the team’s food could have been intentionally contaminated. Bezbatchenko noted that to his knowledge, no one else at the hotel where the Crew was staying fell ill, raising suspicions about the timing and specificity of the outbreak.
While the Crew has not directly accused their opponents or the host venue of any wrongdoing, the suggestion of foul play has cast a shadow over the final. A source within the Crew locker room described the illness as “brutal” and agreed that it likely impacted the team’s performance on the field.
An examination of the match data supports this assessment, with several key Crew players displaying statistical anomalies that could indicate fatigue or other effects of the illness. Midfielder Aidan Morris, typically one of the team’s most reliable performers, committed an uncharacteristically high number of fouls and saw a significant drop in his passing accuracy.
The Crew’s preparations for the high-altitude conditions in Pachuca, located approximately 56 miles from Mexico City, were also thorough, and the team’s physician ruled out altitude sickness as the cause of the widespread illness.
While instances of suspected food tampering or poisoning in professional soccer are rare, they are not unprecedented. In 2006, Tottenham Hotspur players fell ill after eating a lasagna dinner at their hotel before a Premier League match, in an incident dubbed “Lasagna-gate.” At the 1990 World Cup, Brazil defender Branco accused Argentina of drugging his water during their match, an allegation later corroborated by Argentina’s Diego Maradona.
Commenting on this story, one national food safety attorney said, “As the team continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the outbreak, the incident highlights the potential risks and vulnerabilities that teams face, even in highly secure and regulated environments. Unfortunately, food poisoning can strike anyone at the most inopportune times, even professional soccer players.”
