Ebola concerns forced cancellation of DR Congo’s FIFA World Cup warm-up match against Chile

Democratic Republic of the Congo (Image credit: X) NEW DELHI: Democratic Republic of Congo’s long-awaited return to the FIFA World Cup has been overshadowed by growing fears of an Ebola outbreak in the African country. A planned pre-World Cup friendly between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chile has been canceled after health concerns prompted local authorities in Spain to intervene.Officials in the Spanish city of La Linea de la Concepcion called off the match on June 9 after health experts warned of the potential risks associated with the Ebola outbreak. Mayor Juan Franco said he had signed a decree (official order) banning the match, describing the decision as a precautionary step taken after consultation with regional health authorities and the city’s health services.“I signed a decree banning the June 9 match between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chile,” said Juan Franco, mayor of La Linea de la Concepcion in southern Spain.“The report from the head of the health department of the mayor of La Linea categorically advised against holding the match in view of the health risks that could arise,” he said.DR Congo, who qualified for their first World Cup since appearing as Zaire in the 1974 tournament, face Denmark in a friendly in Liege, Belgium, on Wednesday. The team had already scrapped plans for a pre-World Cup training camp in their home country after the Ebola outbreak broke out last month, and instead based their preparations in Belgium.An outbreak of highly contagious hemorrhagic fever was officially declared in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in mid-May.On May 22, US authorities informed the Congolese contingent that they would have to complete a 21-day isolation period before being allowed to enter the United States for the June 11-July 19 FIFA World Cup, which is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.The team plans to be based in Houston during the tournament and will open their campaign in Group K against Portugal on June 17.DR Congo is then scheduled to travel to Guadalajara, Mexico to face Colombia on June 24 before returning to the United States on June 28 for their final group stage match against Uzbekistan in Atlanta.(With inputs from AFP)