Euro 2016: Luxembourg vs Belarus May Be Postponed Due to Food Poisoning Outbreak
Luxembourg's upcoming Euro 2016 qualifier against Belarus may be postponed after 16 players suffered food poisoning after eating a meal in Minsk.
The two teams were supposed to meet on Tuesday, but with just four of the Luxembourg players not suffering “terrible stomach aches,” the Luxembourg Football Federation has asked UEFA to potentially push the match further back, per BBC Sport.
As shared by L'essentiel (h/t BBC Sport's John Bennett, who wrongly stated 17 of the players were ill), a bad batch of spaghetti bolognese is to blame, and he immediately recalled a similar story involving Tottenham Hotspur in 2006:
Spurs were on the verge of qualifying for the Champions League back in 2006 but needed a result against West Ham United on the final day of the Premier League season.
The night before the match, 10 of their players suffered food poisoning, and the Hammers instead walked away with the win, which saw Arsenal take fourth place over their rivals, per the Daily Mail's Laura Williamson.
The stakes for Luxembourg's clash with Belarus aren't nearly as high―both teams can no longer qualify for Euro 2016―but with the FIFA rankings in mind, both will still want to win their match.
A decision is expected by Tuesday.
