Young Lions' midfielder Mohd Firdaus bin Kasman was the first in the Singapore team to report an upset stomach and a migraine on Monday morning, said team manager Ashiq Idris to reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday.
It prevented him from playing in Singapore’s clash with Malaysia that evening, even though he was supposed to be part of the starting 11.
His teammates Shahdan bin Sulaiman and Muhd Khairul Nizam, who complained of discomfort and weakness after Monday’s match, were diagnosed with mild diarrhoea and prescribed medication.
Symptoms of food poisoning started from Sunday evening.
Malaysian striker Izzaq Faris Ramlan was placed on a 1.5-litre sodium drip after being dehydrated from diarrhoea, while three Timor-Leste players and one trainer complained of indigestion.
Malaysian head coach Ong Kim Swee, who suspected "something is not right with the food", added that midfielder K. Gurusamy felt discomfort but was able to play in Monday’s game.
Timorese assistant coach Alex Vongo said on Tuesday his three affected athletes have still not been able to see a doctor for treatment. “They’re supposed to have a 24-hour medical service here but when we visited it after lunch today, it was closed. It was quite disappointing,” he noted.
Cambodia's Chhin Chhoeun, who played in Monday's evening match against Indonesia, also had diarrhoea later, said his coach Tae Hoon Lee.
All players are staying at the Sultan Hotel Jakarta, host country Indonesia’s largest five-star accommodation.
The Sultan Hotel's assistant manager for food and beverages Sudrajat said the hotel management has not been informed of any cases of indigestion.
The 52-year-old added that the hotel would investigate any reports of suspected food poisoning.
Delegations from Myannmar, Brunei and the Philippines confirmed their players are in good shape, apart from physical injuries sustained from previous matches.
Myannmar head coach Sheean Hansson said as his players are not used to local cuisine, the team imports and prepares its own meals.
The Young Lions will also no longer be taking their meals at the Sultan’s in-house Lagoon Café. The team's nutritionist will order the players’ food a la carte from a different restaurant in the same hotel, said Ashiq.
Firdaus is now back in action, joining the Young Lions for their evening round of training ahead of their match with Cambodia on Wednesday, while Shahdan and Nazim are taking a backseat, with modified training in place.
"We will review their condition after training this evening and again tomorrow morning,” said Singapore Sports Council (SSC) doctor Cormac O'Muircheartaigh, who saw the players once he arrived in Jakarta Tuesday afternoon. The SSC has also reported the cases to the Indonesian SEA Games Organising Committee (INASOC)’s medical team.
“The key now is to ensure that they recover from any possible dehydration and any other issues prior to them returning to training,” he added.
