Democratic Republic of the Congo could face exclusion from the upcoming World Cup if the national team fails to comply with strict health and isolation protocols ahead of travelling to the United States.
The African side are expected to arrive in Houston, Texas on June 11 before opening their tournament campaign against Portugal six days later. However, due to an ongoing Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, the squad has been instructed to observe a mandatory 21 day isolation period before entering the United States.
The team’s training bubble is currently based in Belgium and must remain fully secured throughout their preparations. Executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, Andrew Giuliani, warned that failure to maintain the strict containment measures could prevent the team from participating in the tournament.
According to Giuliani, United States authorities have already held discussions with FIFA, the DR Congo football federation, and government officials concerning compliance with the health requirements.
He stressed that the United States would not compromise on public health safety and made it clear that any breach of the isolation bubble could place the entire squad at risk of being denied entry into the country.
Despite the warning, DR Congo officials confirmed that planned friendly matches against Denmark and Chile will still go ahead as scheduled. The team are expected to play Denmark in Liège on June 3 before travelling to Cádiz to face Chile six days later.
A team spokesperson insisted that no player currently in camp travelled from DR Congo and confirmed that the only cancelled activity was a planned celebratory visit to Kinshasa ahead of the nation’s first World Cup appearance in 52 years.
The situation has sparked concerns over whether the scheduled friendly matches could conflict with the strict isolation measures already imposed on the squad.
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