Ukraine lost its final Euro 2012 tune-up to Turkey on Tuesday, but the 2-0 loss was the least of the team’s concerns. The odds were stacked against Ukraine to begin with, as 10 players were held out of the game because of food poisoning. Clearly, the sickness was a result of something the team ate as a group.
Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin says several players complained of upset stomachs on Tuesday morning, and he doesn’t necessarily think it was a coincidence. The game took place in Germany less than a week before the start of Euro 2012, and Germany happens to be a part of that tournament.
“It happened in Germany, but it is impossible to establish the causes — they all ate different food,” Blokhin told Ukrainian television according to Dirty Tackle. “It may have been sabotage, I do not know. It cannot be accidental.”
Or, it could be accidental considering Germany isn’t even in the same group as Ukraine and food poisoning generally lasts 24 hours as opposed to several days. Ukraine’s team doctor says he believes the sickness was caused by “the bad effects of eating a salad.”
Blokhin’s comments seem a bit far-fetched, but when you stack them up against accusations of witchcraft and wizardry it doesn’t sound all that out of hand.
