Marsch Accuses Vancouver Whitecaps Players of “Poisoning” in Mexico
The technical director of the Canadian national team, Jesse Marsch, has expressed his concern for the health of the Vancouver Whitecaps players, suggesting they were “poisoned” during their trip to Mexico for the Concacaf Champions Cup final. The accusation arises from the defeat of the Canadian team against Cruz Azul in the Champions Cup final, where they were surpassed by a score of 5-0. The Vancouver Whitecaps issued a statement on Thursday, reporting that several players and staff members reported gastrointestinal symptoms following their return from Mexico.Marsch noted that this incident is the second consecutive year that an MLS team has reported health issues in Mexico during the Champions Cup final.
Marsch mentioned that Ali Ahmed, Sam Adekugbe, and Jayden Nelson, Whitecaps players who are part of the Canadian national team, were affected and might not be in optimal condition to play the full 90 minutes. Concacaf has not issued any comments on the matter, and Cruz Azul has not responded to requests for statements. A source indicated that the Vancouver Whitecaps have not filed any formal complaints or investigation requests.It’s outrageous that for the second consecutive year a MLS team is allowed to go to Mexico for an important final and be poisoned.
Jesse Marsch
Whitecaps coach Jesper Sorensen stated that he does not believe his team was intentionally poisoned.
Vancouver’s sporting director, Axel Schuster, reported that the team’s analysis of what happened is ongoing, but initial indications suggest that the problem originated after the match, during the return trip to Canada.
Schuster highlighted that the team had total control over the food consumed before the match and that some team members who did not travel on the charter flight did not present symptoms. Schuster added that this year’s situation is different from that of the Columbus Crew in the previous year’s final, where problems already existed before the match.Marsch admitted to having no proof of poisoning, but emphasized that the repetition of incidents is suspicious.
