According to L'Équipe, the Democratic Republic of Congo's FIFA World Cup preparations have been disrupted by the Ebola epidemic. The Congolese Sports Minister stated that the team has complied with all health and epidemic prevention requirements.
According to L'Équipe, the Democratic Republic of Congo's FIFA World Cup preparations have been disrupted by the Ebola epidemic. The Congolese Sports Minister stated that the team has complied with all health and epidemic prevention requirements. Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga, Minister of Sports for the Democratic Republic of Congo, stated that the Democratic Republic of Congo team has "complied with all health requirements" in the face of the Ebola epidemic.
The Congolese "Leopards" team's FIFA World Cup preparations have been affected by the Ebola virus. The team originally planned to train in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but eventually canceled the trip to comply with the health and epidemic prevention requirements set by the host country. The Democratic Republic of Congo was also supposed to play a warm-up match in Spain, but the mayor of the local city of La Línea de la Concepción later banned the match.
The match was eventually played behind closed doors in Orléans on Tuesday evening, with the Democratic Republic of Congo losing 1-2 to Chile. The Congolese Sports Minister said he did not understand why Spain issued the ban, emphasizing that the selected players "do not play in Congo." The Democratic Republic of Congo has been affected by the Ebola epidemic since mid-May, with 500 confirmed cases and dozens of deaths.
Despite these new restrictions, the minister expressed confidence that the team would not encounter any administrative problems upon arrival in the United States. Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga stated that the staff have obtained visas. Sébastien Desabre's players will play Portugal in Houston at 1:00 AM Beijing time (CEST) on June 18, then face Colombia at 4:00 AM Beijing time (CEST) on June 24, and conclude the group stage against Uzbekistan at 1:30 AM Beijing time (CEST) on June 28.