DR Congo cancels World Cup training camp amid Ebola outbreak
Democratic Republic of the Congo has cancelled its planned pre-World Cup training camp in the capital, Kinshasa, because of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the eastern part of the country.
The national football team, known as the Leopards, will now prepare for the tournament in Belgium instead, officials confirmed.
The decision comes as health authorities continue battling a growing outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has already claimed more than 130 lives and infected hundreds of people.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern,” although it says the situation has not reached pandemic level.
Jerry Kalemo, spokesperson for the DR Congo national team, said preparations and friendly matches in Europe will continue as planned ahead of the country’s first World Cup appearance since 1974.
DR Congo are scheduled to face Denmark on 3 June in Belgium and Chile on 9 June in Spain before beginning their World Cup campaign in Houston, Texas, against Portugal on 17 June.
A statement shared by the team on social media said the public training session originally scheduled for May 26 in Kinshasa had been cancelled because of suspected Ebola cases reported in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri.
There is also uncertainty over whether head coach Sébastien Desabre will still hold a planned press conference in Kinshasa.
Although the outbreak is centred far from the capital, international travel restrictions have complicated the situation.
A spokesperson for the team told Reuters that the United States’ new health-related travel measures influenced the decision to relocate preparations outside the country.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has temporarily barred entry for non-American travellers who have recently been in DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan due to the Ebola outbreak.
Because all DR Congo players are based overseas, they are not expected to be affected by the restrictions now that the Kinshasa camp has been cancelled.
Some team staff members based in DR Congo reportedly left the country on Wednesday to avoid possible complications linked to the 21-day travel rule.
The outbreak has also created uncertainty for supporters and journalists hoping to attend the World Cup in the United States.
The US embassy in DR Congo has paused visa services because of the health crisis, raising fears among fans that they may miss the tournament.
Some Congolese journalists questioned why travel restrictions should affect the entire country when no Ebola cases have been reported in Kinshasa.
The capital is located roughly 1,800 kilometres from Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak.
“Why should the whole country be banned?” one sports reporter asked.
Supporter Michel Nkuka Mbolandinga, known locally for impersonating independence hero Patrice Lumumba, said he still hopes to travel to the World Cup despite the uncertainty.
The Kinshasa training camp had also been expected to attract fans and senior officials, including President Félix Tshisekedi.
Meanwhile, the Ebola outbreak continues to worsen.
The WHO reported 139 suspected deaths out of nearly 600 suspected infections, although Congolese health authorities later said the death toll may have risen to 159.
Health officials say the Bundibugyo strain presents a major challenge because there is currently no approved vaccine specifically designed for it.
The WHO has warned it could take up to nine months before a vaccine becomes available.
