Spanish mayor bans DR Congo pre-World Cup friendly over Ebola concerns

Madrid: A scheduled pre-World Cup friendly football match involving the Democratic Republic of Congo has been cancelled by local authorities in southern Spain due to public health anxieties surrounding the ongoing Ebola epidemic in the African nation.

"I have signed the decree banning the holding of the June 9 match between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chile," announced Juan Franco, the mayor of La Línea de la Concepción.

Franco characterised the cancellation as a "precautionary measure," noting that his executive decision aligned directly with official guidance issued by the regional health services of the Andalusia government.

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The mayor of the 65,000-resident municipality, which is situated adjacent to the border with Gibraltar, stated that the locality's chief medical officer had also formally recommended against permitting the exhibition.

"A report by the head of the mayoralty's health service of La Linea advised categorically against hosting the match given the health risks which might arise," Franco said.

The DR Congo national team—which recently secured qualification for its first World Cup tournament since competing under the name Zaire in 1974—remains scheduled to contest an international friendly against Denmark in Liège, Belgium, on Wednesday.

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The sporting delegation previously abandoned plans to conduct a domestic pre-tournament training camp after the hemorrhagic fever virus emerged inside the country last month. The team has since established its temporary training headquarters in Belgium.

The outbreak of the highly infectious disease was officially declared in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-May.

United States federal authorities announced on May 22 that the Congolese squad must undergo a mandatory 21-day isolation period as a prerequisite for entry into the country. The World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19.

The team intends to establish its tournament base camp in Houston, Texas, where it is slated to open its Group K campaign against Portugal on June 17.

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Following that fixture, the DR Congo squad is scheduled to travel to Guadalajara, Mexico, for a match against Colombia on June 24, before returning to the United States to conclude the group stage against Uzbekistan in Atlanta on June 28.

With inputs from AFP