World Cup staff may very well be thrown out over fears they may unfold lethal ‘bleeding eyes’ illness
The Democratic Republic of Congo team has been warned they could be removed from this summer’s World Cup if they refuse to quarantine to prevent the spread of ebola
Health workers wearing protective equipment prepare for Ebola response operations(Image: Getty Images)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo could be thrown out of the World Cup if the team refuses to quarantine to ensure it does not infect the tournament with deadly Ebola.
US officials have warned that the players will not be allowed in unless they agree to isolate themselves at their training camp for 21 days. Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the World Cup’s White House Task Force, said officials had told FIFA the squad should stay in a bubble in Belgium, where players are preparing for the tournament.
He said: “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.
“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.”
Giuliani said the priority was the ‘safety and security of the American people, participating teams, and millions of fans’.
US officials said this week the Congo squad would be exempt from a travel ban that temporarily bars entry to the US for non-Americans who have been in the country in 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 said.
But a spokesman for the Congo team said there was no change to their schedule, which includes a friendly against Denmark in Liège on June 3 and another against Chile in Cádiz, Spain, six days later.
“We have kept our training programme. No player in the squad has come from DRC,” the official said.
The entire squad of players are based outside the Congo – mostly in Europe – as is coach Sébastien Desabre. A few team officials arrived at the training camp in Belgium from the Congo 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 that has been cancelled.
The World Health Organisation has raised to ‘very high’ the risk of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments.
There have been 82 confirmed cases and seven deaths in the Congo. But officials say the real figures could be as high as 750 cases and 177 deaths.
The national team has qualified for the World Cup for only the second time, after playing 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 June 17 against Cristiano Ronaldo ’s Portugal.
