Hotel Cleared of Spurs Food Poisioning

**Karlos** · 17/05/2006, 5:20 PM

Just an update on this - a bit of closure on the issue and an end to the idea of foul play at work.

from bbc.co.uk

The bug which affected Tottenham before their game at West Ham was not caused by food poisoning at their hotel, the Health Protection Agency has ruled.

The players ate at the London Marriott hotel in West India Quay before they lost 2-1 at Upton Park on 7 May.

An investigation into the hotel's food preparation, storage and cooking found it to be satisfactory.

Tests on the players showed one had a form of gastroenteritis which may have spread to the other players affected.

Tottenham boss Martin Jol said his players were vomiting in the dressing room before the defeat which cost them fourth place in the Premiership and meant they missed out on a place in the Champions League.

The tests at the hotel were the responsibility of a joint team involving the Health Protection Agency and the Environmental inspectors at Tower Hamlets council.

They took food from the hotel kitchen linked to that eaten by the group and found it to be completely negative.

Further samples taken from the hotel's waste bins identified a range of bacteria, as would be expected, but did not identify organisms which could have caused the outbreak.

Colin Perrins, head of Tower Hamlets Trading Standards and Environmental Health said: "None of the results or findings indicated that food poisoning was the cause.

"The likely cause of illness suffered by the Tottenham Hotspur staff and players was from a viral source."

Dr Alex Mellanby, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control at the Health Protection Agency added: "The only positive finding in this investigation identifies norovirus, a form of viral gastroenteritis, as the cause of the outbreak.

"We do not believe that this outbreak was caused by food poisoning from the hotel."

A statement from the London Marriott hotel said: "Our management is very pleased that the hotel has been fully cleared of allegations of food poisoning.

"The West India Quay Marriott co-operated fully with the Health Protection Agency, Tower Hamlets Environmental Health Department and the police during the investigations, and would like to thank the personnel at these agencies for their professionalism and support."

**Karlos** · 17/05/2006, 9:11 PM

now now, theres no malice in this at all, just bringing some closure to it!

Wouldn't want people thinking that Arsene had something to do with it!

**NeilMcD** · 18/05/2006, 9:29 AM

NObody suggested that Arsenal had anything to do with it but the rumours were that it was part of Betting ring over in Asia. The amount of money that went on West Ham the night before and morning of the game was staggering.

also this is the official statement from spurs so its not closure Karlos.

In response to the findings by the Health Protection Agency with regard to the outbreak of gastrointestinal illness prior to our game at West Ham United, our view is that we must wait until we have the full picture.

Given that results from a number of sources remain outstanding, it is too early to draw any final conclusions.

**NeilMcD** · 18/05/2006, 11:05 AM

Spurs never made any allegations as to the cause of the vomitting their players expereience. They never made any conspiracy theory allegations. All they said to the premier league in the form of a letter that their players were sick the morning of the game (fact) and that they asked for the game to be postponed (fact) and that this did not happen and that they were forced to be play the game (fact). They wrote the letter to hightlight the problems within the EPl system when one team wants a game to be called off. At no point have Spurs came out and said that there was a sinister reason behind the players sickness.