MAYBE IT was lost in translation, but what has Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni got against mushrooms, asks Ronan McGreevy
Trapattoni used a press conference before last week's World Cup qualifier against Montenegro to rail against the humble mushroom, a staple not only of an Irish fry-up but also of his own country's most famous food exports - pizza and pasta.
Trapattoni admitted he was "stunned into silence for several seconds" when he saw Irish players eating mushrooms on match days. When asked to elaborate, Trapattoni pointed to his stomach and that of Robbie Keane: "If they eat mushrooms, I think that maybe the next day they make the players go, 'ooh-ah'."
The remarks provoked much mirth among the assembled press corps, especially when Keane was asked if mushrooms caused him stomach upset.
"Maybe magic mushrooms," he replied.
The Commercial Mushroom Producers (CMP) said it was going to appeal the culinary red card and has invited Trapattoni to visit its factory in Monaghan.
CMP said mushrooms were the only non-animal source of vitamin D and an ideal food for those on reduced-calorie diets, as well as being a low-calorie substitute for meat. They are also a superfood rich in riboflavin, Vitamin B7, B3 and B5 and folic acid, and a proven aphrodisiac, according to CMP.
"Perhaps Mr Trapattoni was concerned that these qualities might distract the players from the 'task in hand'," said CMP spokesman Jim Walsh. "We hope to have the opportunity to appeal directly to Mr Trapattoni when he comes back to Ireland in October for our next home game against Cyprus."
Along with bemusement, there was some surprise that Trapattoni, who has 30 years' experience in football and is not noted for his flights of fancy, would take such a set against a vegetable that has never been on anyone's hit-list of junk food.
"He may have a point," said nutritionist Margo Brennan of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute. "Mushrooms would be regarded as relatively low in fibre, at about 2g per 100g serving, but they do seem to have quite an effect on the bowel for some people.
"We say to anybody with bowel issues that they should avoid them if they are feeling a discomfort, but, though there may be something there for some people, I don't think we can make a generalisation about mushrooms."
However, sports and exercise physiologist Dr Giles Warrington, who is based at DCU, was non-plussed by the suggestion that mushrooms should be banned. "I certainly have never come across any issue with mushrooms before. I have never heard a suggestion not to use them, although I could understand if they were deep-fried or as part of a fry-up.
"If anything, they may have pre- and pro-biotic qualities. It may be like certain foods such as onions and garlic - some people may have a reaction to them, like those who have a yeast sensitivity. Perhaps Trapattonni is one of these!"