NEW DELHI: Democratic Republic of Congo's long-awaited return to the FIFA World Cup has been overshadowed by growing concerns over an Ebola outbreak in the African nation. A planned pre-World Cup friendly between DR Congo and Chile has been cancelled after health concerns prompted local authorities in Spain to intervene.
Officials in the Spanish town of La Linea de la Concepcion called off the June 9 fixture following warnings from health experts about potential risks associated with the Ebola outbreak.
Mayor Juan Franco said he had signed a decree (official order) prohibiting the match from taking place, describing the decision as a precautionary step taken after consulting regional health authorities and municipal medical services.
“I have signed the decree banning the holding of the June 9 match between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chile,” said Juan Franco, mayor of La Linea de la Concepcion in southern Spain.
“A report by the head of the mayoralty’s health service of La Linea advised categorically against hosting the match given the health risks which might arise,” he said.
DR Congo, who have qualified for their first World Cup since appearing as Zaire in the 1974 tournament, are scheduled to face Denmark in a friendly in Liege, Belgium, on Wednesday. The team had already scrapped plans for a pre-World Cup training camp in their home country after the Ebola outbreak emerged last month and have instead based their preparations in Belgium.
The outbreak of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever was officially declared in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-May.
On May 22, US authorities informed the Congolese squad that they would need to complete a 21-day isolation period before being permitted to enter the United States for the World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19 and is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The team plans to be based in Houston during the tournament and will begin their Group K campaign against Portugal on June 17.
DR Congo are then scheduled to travel to Guadalajara, Mexico, to face Colombia on June 24 before returning to the United States for their final group-stage fixture against Uzbekistan in Atlanta on June 28.
(With inputs from AFP)
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