Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has issued a severe warning to all his players on the dangers of eating chicken kiev before a big match.
The former Inter Milan boss is concerned that some players might not be able to properly digest the pounded chicken breast dish by kick off time.
Mancini stated "Modern footballers are like racehorses. They are delicate animals with sensitive dispositions that can easily be upset by too rich or spicy food.
Even if the chicken is well enough digested, the cold garlic butter and herbs can often lead to violent burping during a game and that can put a player right off their game.
I remember an incident at Inter in 2004 when some of the players snacked on zesty taco doritos 10 minutes before a Serie A match and we were 3-0 down before we knew what hit us.
Fortunately, some of the opposition ate curry flavoured crisps at half time and we managed to score 4 in the second period".
