Food poisoning throws Salernitana s relegation fight into turmoil

Salernitana’s fight for survival has veered into chaos, with a bout of food poisoning hospitalising much of the squad halfway through their relegation showdown with Sampdoria.

The Serie B side, fighting to avoid dropping to Italys third tier, have formally requested a postponement of Fridays second-leg match against Sampdoria as players and coaching staff remain too ill to train.

The incident risks prolonging a month-long saga that has seen Brescia being sent down to Serie C by court order, due to financial irregularities, and Sampdoria handed a chance to avoid a humiliating demotion.

The former Serie A champions were on course to slide down to the third division for the first time in their 79-year history before Brescias troubles granted them an unexpected spot in the relegation playouts.

The latest drama unfolded on Salernitanas plane back home following Sundays 2-0 loss in Genoa, with 21 players and staff struck down, a large part requiring hospitalisation upon disembarking.

We are truly shocked by what happened and by the series of events that risk jeopardising Salernitanas smooth and peaceful approach to the final and crucial minutes of the season, club CEO Maurizio Milan said in a statement.

The mass sickness has left the southern Italian side in competitive limbo, with the team unable to prepare for a match that could determine their footballing future.

After suffering the drop from Serie A last season, Salernitana now face the prospect of consecutive relegations if they cannot overturn their first-leg deficit.

Many players and staff, at the moment, are not even able to show up at the sports centre to resume training, Milan added.

The club said it had already made informal contact with Serie B officials and received general openness to evaluating their postponement request.

Salernitana have also called for an investigation into the