DR Congo world‑cup squad cancels Spain friendly amid Ebola concerns
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s international “warm‑up” against Chile in Spain next week has been called off after the mayor of La Linea de la Concepcion signed a decree prohibiting the match. Health authorities raised alarms over the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the African nation, and the local council followed the Andalusian regional health service’s recommendation to avert the risk of infection.
Juan Franco, the mayor of La Linea, described the move as a precautionary measure. He cited a report from the mayoralty’s health department that categorically opposed hosting the fixture because of the health risks associated with the outbreak.
La Linea, a coastal resort of around 65,000 residents in Cadiz province near the Gibraltar border, had been set to receive the friendly while DR Congo continued its preparation for the World Cup. The squad, which has been based in Belgium after cancelling a pre‑tournament training camp in Kinshasa due to the outbreak, will now face Denmark on 12 June in Liege.
The United States public health agency has banned entry of non‑American travellers who have been in DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the past 21 days. The outbreak in eastern DR Congo involves a rare species of Ebola – Bundibugyo – for which no vaccine exists; the World Health Organisation warns it could take up to nine months for a safe jab to develop.
DR Congo, which qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1974, has scheduled Houston as its base camp for the tournament. They will kick off Group K against Portugal on 17 June, then travel to Guadalajara to play Colombia before returning to the United States to meet Uzbekistan in Atlanta.
Image caption: DR Congo's players train in Belgium before the friendly that was cancelled.
