DR Congo cancel their World Cup preparations due to Ebola outbreak

Ebola has struck DR Congo again. The latest epidemic, which is the 17th to date in the DRC is hard to tackle. Several factors are making the latest Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo difficult to deal with, including it being of an unusual strain, late detection and dwindling international aid. There are multiple challenges, many linked to this particular strain. First and foremost, there is no proven effective treatment or vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain. The situation is very serious and it’s affecting all parts of life in DR Congo, not only the health situation. And while its very difficult to think about anything else while people are dying, DR Congo footballers have a job to do – they are going to the World Cup.

Due to the Ebola outbreak, the Leopards have decided cancel their pre-World Cup training camp in the capital Kinshasa. Instead, they have moved to Belgium, where they are due to play Denmark on June 3, with a further pre-tournament fixture in Spain on June 9. They will play Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan in Group K at the World Cup.

“FIFA is aware of and monitoring the situation regarding an Ebola outbreak and is in close communication with the Congo DR Football Association to ensure that the team are made aware of all medical and security guidance” a FIFA spokesperson told The Athletic.

Travelers from DR Congo are already heavily restricted from travelling to the U.S. which due to strict immigration measures. But, the hosting country will make exceptions due to the World Cup. The United States will ensure that the Democratic Republic of Congo's team are able to travel to play in the World Cup, making an exemption to an entry ban over Ebola, a US official said Tuesday.

"We expect the DRC team to be able to attend the World Cup" a senior State Department official said on condition of anonymity.