Cruz Azul hit back at Marsch over Whitecaps 'poisoning' allegations | OneFootball

A Cruz Azul spokesperson has hit out at Canada head coach Jesse Marsch after the former Leeds United boss claimed some of the Vancouver Whitecaps players were 'poisoned' ahead of the Concacaf Champions Cup final last weekend.

On Thursday, the Whitecaps said in a statement that a 'significant number' of players and staff had fallen ill upon the team’s return to Canada, days after being thumped by Cruz Azul 5-0 in the final.

Last season, the Columbus Crew reported a similar incident after losing 3-0 in the final to Liga MX side Pachuca.

On Friday, Jesse Marsch had his say on the incident after some of Whitecaps players reported for international duty, ruffling some feathers in Mexico in the process.

“It’s for me, appalling that this is the second year in a row that Concacaf and the powers that be have allowed an MLS team to go down to Mexico for a big final and get poisoned,” Marsch said. “It’s ridiculous. Something has to be done to protect these environments.

“Look, in the past when you would go down there, I remember being with the U.S. national team and club teams going down to Mexico, it was ‘will the fire alarm be pulled in the middle of the night? Will there be dancing and singing?’ And those are somewhat spirited, competitive advantages that are created when you go down to Mexico. But poisoning the team is another, is another version."

According to the Athletic, a spokesperson for Cruz Azul has labeled Marsch's comments as "out of line", and nothing more than "damage control."

Canada are set to face off with Ukraine on Saturday in an international friendly.

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