DR Congo will not change World Cup preparations despite US Ebola warning

World Cup cohosts United States person warned the Democratic Republic of the Congo squad to isolate owed to Ebola fears.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo ‌(DRC) person nary plans to alteration their preparations for the 2026 World Cup, contempt ⁠a informing from the ⁠United States that the squad indispensable isolate for 21 days earlier arriving successful the country, a squad authoritative has said.

Andrew Giuliani, enforcement manager of the ⁠White House Task Force for the World Cup, confirmed connected Friday that the Congolese delegation needed to support a bubble wherever they are grooming successful Belgium and isolate ⁠for 21 days oregon hazard being denied introduction aft a deadly outbreak of the Ebola microorganism successful the cardinal African country.

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The Congolese squad are to beryllium based successful Houston astatine the tourney and volition play an opening Group K fixture against Portugal connected June 17, followed by matches against ‌Colombia connected June 23 successful Guadalajara, Mexico, and against Uzbekistan connected June 27 successful Atlanta.

“We’ve been precise wide to Congo that they should support the integrity of their bubble for 21 days earlier they tin past travel to Houston connected June 11,” Giuliani told ESPN connected Saturday.

“We’ve made it precise wide to the Congo authorities arsenic good that they request to support that bubble, oregon they hazard not being capable to question to the United ⁠States. We cannot beryllium immoderate clearer.”

But a squad spokesperson said that astatine ⁠this signifier determination was nary alteration to their schedule, which includes a affable against Denmark successful Liege, Belgium, connected June 3 and different against Chile successful Cadiz, Spain, six days later.

“We person kept our grooming programme. No ⁠player successful the squad has travel from DR Congo,” the authoritative said.

The full squad of players are based extracurricular the DRC, mostly ⁠in Europe, including manager Sebastien Desabre. A fewer squad officials ⁠arrived astatine the grooming campy successful Belgium from the DRC earlier this week.

The squad had planned a three-day travel to Kinshasa adjacent week arsenic a celebratory send-off earlier they caput to their archetypal World Cup successful 52 years, but ‌that travel has been cancelled.

The World Health Organization connected Friday raised to “very high” the hazard of the uncommon Bundibugyo strain of Ebola turning into a nationalist outbreak successful the DRC ‌and ‌has declared the outbreak determination and successful neighbouring Uganda an exigency of planetary concern.

Nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths person been recorded pursuing the outbreak successful DRC.