World Cup 2014: Out-of-date food confiscated from England's hotel

Dodgy fish, ham and butter is taken from England's hotel but the FA plays down any concerns.

The England national team will not expect World Cup victories to be handed to them on a plate, but it is doubtful they would have anticipated out-of-date food to be dished out in their hotel.

According to Reuters, the England and Italy team hotels for the World Cup were raided by Brazilian health and safety officials, who confiscated fish, butter, ham and other food past their sell-by dates.

2.6 kilograms of salmon, parma ham and butter was taken from the Hotel Royal Tulip, where the England squad is due to stay in Rio de Janeiro.

The biggest raid took place at the Portobello Hotel, the base of Italian team, who are also England’s first opponent in this year’s tournament. Officials seized 25 kg of out-of-date seafood and margarine along with 24 kg of meat, sauces, cheese and sugar that had no discernible expiry date.

Officials also fined both hotels for not providing condoms to guests, a requirement under Brazilian law.

The raids on the hotels were part of a campaign by the consumer protection authority Procon which saw 13 restaurants, supermarkets, bakeries, shops and hotels visited by officials. A statement noted, “In total, 218kg of food unfit for consumption was discarded.”

In response to the news, an FA spokesman said, “The England chef has visited the Royal Tulip hotel several times and is happy with the cleanliness of the facilities. He will also closely supervise all the players' food intake."