Officials with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s national soccer team say they have no intention of modifying their World Cup preparation plans, even after receiving a stern warning from United States authorities about mandatory isolation requirements before entering the country.
On Friday, Andrew Giuliani, who serves as executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, told ESPN that the Congolese delegation must stay in isolation at their Belgium training facility for 21 days or face the possibility of being refused entry into the United States. This requirement stems from a fatal Ebola virus outbreak currently affecting the central African nation.
The team from Congo is scheduled to set up their tournament base in Houston and will face Portugal in their first Group K match on June 17. Their remaining group stage games include a June 23 contest against Colombia in Guadalajara, Mexico, and a June 27 matchup with Uzbekistan in Atlanta.
Giuliani emphasized the seriousness of the situation in his ESPN interview, stating: “We’ve been very clear to Congo that they should maintain the integrity of their bubble for 21 days before they can then come to Houston on June 11.”
He added: “We’ve made it very clear to the Congo government as well that they need to maintain that bubble or they risk not being able to travel to the United States. We cannot be any clearer.”
However, a team spokesperson indicated that their current timeline remains unchanged, which includes exhibition matches against Denmark in Liege, Belgium on June 3, and Chile in Cadiz, Spain on June 9.
The official explained: “We have kept our training programme. No player in the squad has come from DR Congo.”
All squad members, including head coach Sebastien Desabre, are currently residing outside of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with most located in Europe. Some team administrators did travel to the Belgium training camp from the DRC this week.
The squad had originally planned a three-day celebration visit to Kinshasa next week before departing for their first World Cup appearance in 52 years, but this trip has been scrapped.
On Friday, the World Health Organization elevated the risk level to “very high” for the uncommon Bundibugyo strain of Ebola potentially spreading into a nationwide outbreak in the DRC. The organization has also classified the outbreak affecting both the DRC and neighboring Uganda as an emergency of international concern.
Health officials report nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
