BASEBALL/Flies, maggots found in Rakuten Monkeys' player meals: Report

Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) Concerns about the Rakuten Monkeys, a team in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League, resurfaced Wednesday after a report revealed that flies and live maggots were found in meals served to players.

The issue was first reported by local magazine CTWANT, which cited a player's dissatisfaction with a lunch served Saturday - believed to be sea bass with tofu.

The unnamed player shared photos showing not just dead flies, but live maggots still writhing in the food.

"I can ignore the dead flies -- just extra protein -- but I can't get over the maggots in the tofu," the player was quoted as saying, adding that the fish smelled bad and was likely not fresh.

It was the second time this season the Rakuten Monkeys have faced complaints about player meals.

In April, CTWANT reported that meals were overly oily, heavily seasoned, and lacking in meat - with some even containing pieces of plastic - making them unfit for professional athletes.

Although the team had promised to fix the issue, the player said problems returned within a week or two, as the tight budget discouraged suppliers from taking the job.

The player added that budget constraints also sidelined the team's dietitian.

"Our dietitian even argued with the vendor, saying they couldn't serve food like this," the player said. "But the vendor said they couldn't help it because of cost concerns."

In response to the report, the Rakuten Monkeys said they had instructed the vendor to improve sanitation controls.

Meanwhile, CPBL Commissioner Tsai Chi-chan (蔡其昌) and the Taoyuan City government expressed concern. Tsai said on social media he had asked Monkeys officials to implement a food safety inspection system.

"There is no room for ambiguity when it comes to players' health," the Taiwan Professional Baseball Players Association said in a statement.

The association said it had formally requested the CPBL and Rakuten to join a meeting, and proposed that all teams establish a standard food review system by spring training in 2026.

The tight budget may be just the tip of the iceberg, reflecting broader financial struggles at Rakuten Group, Inc., the Japan-based parent company that acquired the Monkeys in 2020.

A UDN column published in September 2023 said Rakuten Group has operated at a loss since the fiscal year ending December 2019 due to its failed push into the mobile industry, with its deficit reaching a record-high 372.8 billion yen in 2022.

The article said that the investment could push Rakuten's debt past 1 trillion yen within three to five years and potentially lead to bankruptcy in the event of serous cash flow problems.

Speculation about a possible disbandment or ownership change intensified after the departure of popular cheerleaders Lin Hsiang (林襄) and Lee Da-hye following the 2023 season.

However, Rakuten founder Hiroshi Mikitani said during a CPBL playoff game last October that he had "no plan to sell" the team.