A Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo led to cancellation of a three-day World Cup preparation training camp and a planned farewell to fans in Kinshasa. The outbreak is linked to more than 130 deaths and nearly 600 suspected cases, and the World Health Organization declared it a public health emergency of international concern. Preparations will continue elsewhere, with warm-up games against Denmark in Liege, Belgium on 3 June and Chile in southern Spain on 9 June scheduled to proceed. The team’s opening World Cup match against Portugal is set for 17 June in Houston. Only the Kinshasa stage was cancelled, while other stages continue. FIFA is monitoring the situation and coordinating medical and security guidance with the DRC football association.
"The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have cancelled their three-day World Cup preparation training camp and a planned farewell to fans in the capital, Kinshasa, because of an outbreak of Ebola in the east of the country. Preparations will take place elsewhere after an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola known as Bundibugyo, which is thought to have killed more than 130 people and caused nearly 600 suspected cases. The World Health Organization has declared it a public health emergency of international concern."
"The World Cup warm-up games against Denmark in Liege, Belgium on 3 June and Chile in southern Spain on 9 June. Both matches are going ahead as planned, the team spokesman Jerry Kalemo has said. The DRC will face Portugal in their opening World Cup match in Houston on 17 June. There were three stages of preparation: in Kinshasa to say goodbye to the public, Belgium and Spain with two friendly matches and the third stage from 11 June in Houston. Only one stage was cancelled the one in Kinshasa, Kalemo said."
"All the DRC's players and the team's French coach, Sebastien Desabre, are based outside the central African country, with most of them playing in France. Some team staff who are based in the DRC are leaving in the next hours, Kalemo said. Fifa issued a statement saying it is aware of and monitoring the situation regarding an Ebola outbreak and is in close communication with the DRC football association [Fecofa] to ensure that the team are made aware of all medical and security guidance."
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week that the United States would ban entry for all foreign nationals who had been in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan within the past three weeks. The ban lasts for 30 days. A US official said the DRC's football team would not be affected by the CDC entry ban because they had been training in Europe for the past several weeks."
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]