Five minutes into the game, three players including Acosvinchos defenseman Andy Salinas collapsed on the field, a fourth player also became sick but did not lose consciousness. Salinas told the Peruvian TV show A Primera Hora:

“From what I remember… the goalie from the other team was being treated for an injury… Someone from the their (Sport Ancash) coaching staff, it must have been the equipment manager, the physical therapist or maybe the water boy, stepped onto the field and we shared drinks… I don’t remember who gave me the drink, but it wasn’t sweet, it had a bitter taste to it.”

“At the hospital, tests found benzodiaepine, a sedative in the players’ bloodstream. When Generaccion.com interviewed Sport Ancash’s president, Jose Mallaqui said:
“I was able to find out that the players ate rotisserie chicken and had some energy drinks before the game, which ended up hurting them.”