Democratic Republic of the Congo Cancels World Cup Camp Over Ebola Outbreak

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has cancelled its planned pre-World Cup training camp in Kinshasa because of the worsening Ebola outbreak in the eastern part of the country.

Preparations for the tournament will instead take place in Belgium as authorities respond to an outbreak that has reportedly killed more than 130 people.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern”, although it has stopped short of classifying it as a pandemic.

Jerry Kalemo, spokesperson for the national football team, said planned warm-up matches in Europe would still go ahead as the team prepares for its first FIFA World Cup appearance since 1974.

DR Congo are scheduled to face Denmark in Belgium on 3 June and Chile in Spain on 9 June before opening their World Cup campaign against Portugal in Houston on 17 June.

Team officials said the decision to cancel the Kinshasa camp was linked to travel restrictions introduced by the United States in response to the Ebola outbreak.

Under the restrictions, non-Americans who have recently visited DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days are barred from entering the US.

Because all DR Congo players and head coach Sébastien Desabre are based outside the country, they are not expected to be affected by the rules now that the training camp has been relocated.

Some support staff based in DR Congo reportedly left the country on Wednesday before the 21-day travel restriction window came into effect.

The planned Kinshasa camp had been expected to attract supporters and senior officials, including President Felix Tshisekedi.

Although Kinshasa lies around 1,800km from Ituri province — the centre of the outbreak — no Ebola cases have yet been reported in the capital.

The WHO said on Wednesday that 139 people were believed to have died from around 600 suspected cases, while Congolese health minister Samuel Roger Kamba later stated on national broadcaster RTNC TV that authorities had recorded 159 deaths.