Chaos at Salernitana as Food Poisoning Crisis Forces Playoff Delay

Salernitana’s relegation battle has taken a dramatic turn after a serious case of food poisoning swept through the squad, leaving a majority of players and staff hospitalised and forcing a postponement of their crucial Serie B playoff match against Sampdoria.

The southern Italian club, desperate to avoid back-to-back relegations just a year after falling from Serie A, was left in disarray following their return flight from Genoa. After losing 2-0 in Sunday’s first leg, 21 members of the team’s travelling party fell ill mid-journey and required hospital treatment shortly after landing in Salerno.

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

With the second leg originally scheduled for Friday evening, Salernitana lodged a formal request to delay the fixture, citing the squad’s inability to train or attend team activities. The Italian football authorities approved a 48-hour postponement, shifting the decisive encounter to Sunday at 19:30 GMT.

“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 has demanded a formal investigation into the source of the outbreak, which has disrupted preparations for a fixture that could seal their fate. A defeat would send them into Serie C, marking a second successive relegation and compounding a turbulent season.

The episode adds to the ongoing drama in Serie B, where Brescia’s four-point deduction for financial breaches led to their automatic relegation. That reshuffle handed Sampdoria – who had been slated for the drop – a lifeline in the form of a two-legged playoff against Salernitana, originally scheduled to involve Frosinone.

With recovery timelines uncertain and the competitive stakes sky-high, the delay offers only a brief reprieve as the squad races to return to full fitness before Sunday’s rescheduled decider.

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