Iraq youth soccer team fears it's been poisoned

Iraq’s sports authorities fear someone in Yemen is putting a little too much Elimination in the Asian Elimination Tournament. From the Yemen Post, the nation’s English-language newspaper:

Iraq voiced Sunday fears that its youth football team might deliberately be poisoned in Yemen, calling for transparent clarifications on the matter by the Yemeni government.

Iraqi Youth and Sport Minister Jasim Mohammed Ja’afer affirmed Iraq’s concern at the poisoning of the team participating in the Asian Elimination Tournament being held in Yemen’s capital of Sana’a.

The Information Director at the ministry Asifa Moussa said he had called Iraq’s Foreign Minister to urge him to ask the Iraqi embassy in Sana’a to follow up the conditions of the team and tackle any problems facing the team members.

Ja’afer, moreover, urged the embassy to contact the Yemeni relevant authorities for clarification on the unclear poisoning, she said.

On Friday a Yemeni official at the Football Association said that breaking the regulations when the Iraqi team had some meals outside the hotel was the main reason for the accident.

All participating teams, particularly those living in the same hotel where Iraqi footballers are living, are safe and none has been reported sick, the official affirmed.

He added that the Iraqi team was admitted the Saudi German Hospital and underwent necessary checkups.

The match between the Iraqi and Syrian teams has been delayed due to the accident.

So if I interpret this right, Iraq thinks it’s been poisoned, Yemen says if it happened it’s Iraq’s fault because the players didn’t eat only at the hotel, and everybody appears to be OK.

Hopefully no one tried to poison the Iraqis. But given this is soccer, it’s possible somebody got a taste of slightly spoiled fish, then violently dove onto the floor and convulsed until authorities arrived to penalize the chef.

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Don’t trust a big plate and a smile.