Congo Football Team Adjusts World Cup Preparations Due to Ebola Outbreak

The Congo national football team canceled a three-day training camp in preparation for the World Cup and a planned farewell event with fans in the capital, Kinshasa. The decision followed an Ebola outbreak in the eastern part of the country.

Preparations will now take place at a different location due to a rare strain of Ebola known as Bundibugyo. This outbreak is believed to have caused over 130 deaths and there are at least 600 suspected cases.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

Congo still plans to play World Cup warm-up matches against Denmark in Liège, Belgium, on June 3, and against Chile in southern Spain on June 9. Both matches are set to proceed as scheduled, according to team spokesman Jerry Kalemo, speaking to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

“There were three stages of preparation: in Kinshasa for a farewell to the public, Belgium and Spain with two friendly matches against Denmark in Liège and Chile in Spain, and the third stage from June 11 in Houston, United States. Only one stage was canceled: the one in Kinshasa,”

Kalemo explained.

All Congo players and the team’s French coach, Sébastien Desabre, are based outside the Central African country, with most playing in France. Some team staff currently in Congo “will leave in the coming hours,” Kalemo added.

FIFA issued a statement indicating awareness of the situation related to the Ebola outbreak and maintaining close communication with the Football Association of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to ensure the team is informed of all medical and safety guidelines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the United States would prohibit entry to all foreign nationals who have been in Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan within the past three weeks. The ban lasts for 30 days.

A U.S. official noted that the ban would not affect the Congo World Cup team, as they have been training in Europe for the past few weeks. This means team members, coaches, and officials who have not returned to Congo within the last three weeks are not subject to the entry ban, according to the official who spoke anonymously because the policy is not yet publicly announced.

Delegation members who have returned to Congo during the 21-day period will adhere to the same quarantine requirements as U.S. citizens seeking to return from affected countries.

This exception won’t apply to Congolese fans wishing to attend the World Cup, the official added.

The White House World Cup task force, under the Department of Homeland Security, emphasized close coordination with various agencies on health and safety issues and continuously monitoring the outbreak.

Congo, which qualified for the World Cup after winning a playoff tournament in Mexico, is placed in Group K. They will face Portugal in their opening match in Houston on June 17, followed by a game against Colombia in Guadalajara on June 23, before playing Uzbekistan in Atlanta on June 27 for their last group stage match.

This marks Congo’s first World Cup qualification since 1974, when it was known as Zaire, sparking joyous scenes across a nation troubled by decades of conflict.

Journalists Matt Lee and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report from Washington.

For more AP coverage on the World Cup: AP World Cup Coverage