DR Congo will not change World Cup preparations despite US Ebola warning

The United States warned the Democratic Republic of the Congo team to isolate for 21 days due to Ebola fears. The Congolese delegation is required to maintain a bubble while training in Belgium and then travel to Houston on June 11. Entry to the United States could be denied if isolation rules are not followed. A team spokesperson said preparations and the match schedule will not change. The team plans friendlies against Denmark in Liege on June 3 and against Chile in Cadiz on June 9. The squad is based outside the DRC, mostly in Europe, with only a few officials arriving from the DRC earlier in the week.

"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, Giuliani told ESPN on Saturday. 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."

"The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have no plans to change their preparations for the 2026 World Cup, despite a warning from the United States that the team must isolate for 21 days before arriving in the country, a team official has said. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, confirmed on Friday that the Congolese delegation needed to maintain a bubble where they are training in Belgium and isolate for 21 days or risk being denied entry."

"But a team spokesperson said that at this stage there was no change to their schedule, which includes a friendly against Denmark in Liege, Belgium, on June 3 and another against Chile in Cadiz, Spain, six days later. We have kept our training programme. No player in the squad has come from DR Congo, the official said."

"The entire squad of players are based outside the DRC, mostly in Europe, including coach Sebastien Desabre. A few team officials arrived at the training camp in Belgium from the DRC earlier this week. The team had planned a three-day trip to Kinshasa next week as a celebratory send-off before they head to their first World Cup in 52 years, but tha"

Read at www.aljazeera.com