The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have cancelled their three-day World Cup preparation training camp and a planned farewell to fans in the capital, Kinshasa, because of an outbreak of Ebola in the east of the country.
Preparations will take place elsewhere after an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola known as Bundibugyo, which is thought to have killed more than 130 people and caused nearly 600 suspected cases. The World Health Organization has declared it a public health emergency of international concern.
The DRC team are scheduled to play World Cup warm-up games against Denmark in Liège, Belgium on 3 June and Chile in southern Spain on 9 June. Both matches are going ahead as planned, the team spokesman Jerry Kalemo has said. The DRC will face Portugal in their opening World Cup match in Houston on 17 June.
“There were three stages of preparation: in Kinshasa to say goodbye to the public, Belgium and Spain with two friendly matches … and the third stage from 11 June in Houston. Only one stage was cancelled – the one in Kinshasa,†Kalemo said.
All the DRC's players and the team's French coach, Sébastien Desabre, are based outside the central African country, with most of them playing in France. Some team staff who are based in the DRC “are leaving in the next hoursâ€, Kalemo said.
Fifa issued a statement saying it “is aware of and monitoring the situation regarding an Ebola outbreak and is in close communication with the DRC football association [Fecofa] to ensure that the team are made aware of all medical and security guidance.â€
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week that the United States would ban entry for all foreign nationals who had been in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan within the past three weeks. The ban lasts for 30 days.
A US official said the DRC's football team would not be affected by the CDC entry ban because they had been training in Europe for the past several weeks. That means team members, coaches and other officials who have not visited the country in the past three weeks would not be subject to the entry ban.
Those members of the country's World Cup delegation who did return to the DRC during the 21-day period will be subject to the same quarantine requirements as US citizens seeking to return from affected countries, according to the official. That exception will not apply to fans who want to attend the World Cup, the official said.
The White House World Cup taskforce, housed under the Department of Homeland Security, stressed that it is “coordinating closely†with various agencies on health and security matters and that the government is “closely monitoring†the outbreak.
The DRC qualified for the World Cup by beating Jamaica in their playoff game in Mexico, and have been drawn in Group K. After playing Portugal, the Leopards then face Colombia in Guadalajara on 23 June before playing Uzbekistan in Atlanta on 27 June.
The national team are playing at their first World Cup finals since 1974, when it was known as Zaïre. The Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa, Sunderland midfielder Noah Sadiki and West Ham full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka have all been included in Desabre's 26-man squad.
The Hibernian centre-back Rocky Bushiri was initially named in the DRC squad but has pulled out with a suspected achilles injury. Bushiri has been replaced by another Scottish Premiership player, Kilmarnock's Aaron Tshibola.
Mosengo-Omba elected as head of DRC's FA
Véron Mosengo-Omba, the former general secretary of the Confederation of African Football (Caf), has been elected president of Fecofa, the DRC's football federation.
Mosengo-Omba, who was unopposed, received 60 votes from a possible 65 to take over the position, having stepped down as Caf general secretary in March after five years. He is a university friend of the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, and followed him from Uefa to Fifa in 2016, before moving to Caf in 2021.
Fecofa's new chief has faced allegations of bullying and intimidation by members of Caf's audit and compliance committee (AACC), which centre on a meeting held in October 2024 to discuss a governance, risk and compliance report. Mosengo-Omba has denied the claims and insisted he “acted with full integrityâ€. Reuters and Guardian sport
