The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have no plans to alter their World Cup preparations despite a directive from the United States requiring the national team to undergo a 21-day isolation period before entering the country.
US Demands Isolation for DRC Squad
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, informed ESPN that US officials had communicated with Fifa, the DRC team, and the government in Kinshasa, stipulating that the squad must remain in a controlled bubble in Belgium, where players are currently training, due to the deadly Ebola outbreak in the African nation.
"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 11th," Giuliani stated. "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. We want to make sure there is nothing that’s going to come in or near our borders."
In a separate statement to AFP from the US Department of Homeland Security, Giuliani emphasised that the priority was the "safety and security of the American people, participating teams, and millions of fans".
Travel Exemptions and DRC Response
US officials confirmed this week that the DRC squad would be exempt from a travel ban temporarily barring non-Americans who have been in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days. "We encourage the team to protect their players from unneeded exposure and maintain the integrity of their bubble to ensure that they are able to participate in the tournament," Giuliani added.
However, a DRC team spokesperson asserted that there would be no change to their schedule, which includes a friendly against Denmark in Liège on 3 June and another against Chile in Cádiz six days later. "We have kept our training programme. No player in the squad has come from DRC," the official said.
Squad Composition and Preparations
The entire squad consists of players based outside the DRC, predominantly in Europe, along with coach Sébastien Desabre. A few team officials arrived at the training camp in Belgium from the DRC this week. The team had planned a three-day visit to Kinshasa next week for a celebratory send-off before heading to their first World Cup in 52 years, but that has been cancelled.
Ebola Outbreak Concerns
The World Health Organization on Friday raised the risk level to "very high" for the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no approved vaccines or treatments exist, potentially turning into a national outbreak in the DRC. The WHO has declared the outbreak in the DRC and neighbouring Uganda an emergency of international concern, listing 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed deaths in the DRC, alongside nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths.
World Cup History and Plans
The DRC have qualified for the World Cup for only the second time, following their appearance in 1974 when the country was known as Zaire. They plan to be based in Houston during the tournament, where they will play their first Group K match on 17 June against Portugal.
