The Democratic Republic of Congo plans to continue its pre-World Cup warm-up matches, even though U.S. officials have warned that the team must isolate for 21 days before coming to the country.
On May 28, Andrew Giuliani, who leads the White House Task Force for the World Cup, told ESPN that the Congolese team must stay in a strict training bubble in Belgium until they leave, or they could be denied entry to the United States.
“We’ve made it very clear to the Congo government that they have to maintain that bubble or they risk not being able to travel,” Giuliani said.
The Congolese team is set to arrive in Houston after finishing their isolation period. They will start their Group K matches against Portugal on June 17, then play Colombia in Guadalajara on June 23, and Uzbekistan in Atlanta on June 27. These warnings, team officials insist, have not changed their preparations.
A spokesperson confirmed that friendlies against Denmark in Liège on June 3 and Chile in Cádiz on June 9 remain as scheduled, with only the planned celebratory send-off in Kinshasa cancelled.
“All players are based outside DR Congo, mostly in Europe, and our coach Sébastien Desabre is with them in Belgium,” the official said. “The training programme is intact, and the friendlies will go ahead.”
At the same time, the World Health Organisation has raised the risk level for the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in DR Congo to “very high.” The outbreak, which has already spread to neighbouring Uganda, is now considered an emergency of international concern. Nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths have been reported.
