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La Linea mayor cancels DR Congo vs Chile World Cup warm up in Spain over Ebola health fears, as DR Congo adjust their preparations ahead of the tournament.
DR Congo beat Jamaica 1-0 to qualify for FIFA World Cup (AP)
A pre-FIFA World Cup friendly involving the Democratic Republic of Congo has been cancelled by the mayor of the Spanish town hosting the game because of health concerns over the Ebola outbreak in the African nation.
“I have signed the decree banning the June 9 match between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chile,” said Juan Franco, mayor of La Linea de la Concepcion in southern Spain.
Franco said it was a “precautionary measure” and that he was following recommendations from the Andalusia regional government’s health service.
The mayor of La Linea, a town of 65,000 inhabitants near the border with Gibraltar, added that the head of the municipality’s medical service had also advised against holding the match.
“A report by the head of La Linea’s mayoralty health service categorically advised against hosting the match, given the health risks that might arise,” he said.
DR Congo, who have qualified for their first World Cup since they featured as Zaire in the 1974 edition, are set to play a friendly against Denmark in Liege, Belgium, on Wednesday.
The team cancelled a planned pre-World Cup training camp at home after the country was hit by an Ebola outbreak last month and have instead been based in Belgium.
The outbreak of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever was declared in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-May.
US authorities said on May 22 that Congo’s squad must isolate for 21 days before they will be allowed into the United States for the World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19 and is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
They plan to be based in Houston during the tournament, where they will play their first Group K match on June 17 against Portugal.
DR Congo are then scheduled to head to Guadalajara, Mexico, to play Colombia on June 24 before returning to the United States to face Uzbekistan in Atlanta on June 28.
(With AFP Inputs)
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