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Ebola disrupts DR Congo’s World Cup preparations
Juan Franco, the mayor of the city of La Linea de la Concepción in the south of Spain, made an official decision to prevent the preparatory friendly match of the World Cup between the teams of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chile, which was supposed to take place on June 9, due to health problems related to the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic in the African country.
Franco explained that he signed the decree canceling the match as an urgent “precautionary measure” to protect public health, stressing that he had fully followed the recommendations and medical reports issued by the Health Authority of the Regional Government of Andalusia, which warned of the risk of playing the match.
This shock further complicates the preparation of the Congolese team for the World Cup. As the health effects of the pandemic in the country have caused the cancellation of important camps and friendlies, coach Sébastien Desabre’s men have entered a race against time to find preparation alternatives that will ensure the squad is ready before the 2026 World Cup battle begins.
The White House previously imposed strict health requirements that required the team’s mission to enter a “medical isolation bubble.” It is being extended for 21 days as a key condition to allow them to enter US territory as part of precautionary measures to avoid the spread of the Ebola virus in the country.
Under the weight of this crisis, the Congolese Football Federation had to cancel the training camp that was planned to be held in the capital Kinshasa and move the mission directly to Belgium. A team official confirmed that this decision was taken to avoid additional complications that could hamper the team’s journey to the global battlefield.
The Desperes will play the upcoming friendly match tomorrow, Wednesday, in Liège, Belgium, against the Danish national team, within the framework of an intensive physical and technical training program before the whistles of the World Cup.
The “Panthers” are preparing to cut the ribbon of their competition for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted from June 11 to July 19 in the stadiums of the USA, Mexico and Canada, where as a result of the draw, the Congolese team…The difficult eleventh group is next to the national teams of Colombia, Portugal and Uzbekistan.
