Democratic Republic of Congo’s international friendly against Chile, scheduled for June 9 in Spain, has been cancelled after local authorities raised health concerns linked to an Ebola outbreak in the African nation.
Juan Franco, mayor of La Linea de la Concepcion, signed a decree preventing the match from taking place, citing recommendations from Andalusia’s regional health service and the municipality’s medical department.
The decision was described as a precautionary measure after health officials advised against hosting the fixture because of potential public health risks.
La Linea, a coastal town in Spain’s Cadiz province near the Gibraltar border, had been set to host the match as both teams prepared for the upcoming World Cup. DR Congo, who qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1974, are currently based in Belgium after cancelling a planned pre-tournament training camp in Kinshasa due to the Ebola outbreak in the eastern part of the country.
CliqMetro gathered that none of the Congolese players, all of whom play for clubs outside the country, had recently visited DR Congo. However, some support staff and fans had travelled from the affected nation.
DR Congo are still scheduled to face Denmark in a friendly in Liege on Wednesday. The United States has also tightened entry restrictions, barring non-American citizens who have been in DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days because of the outbreak.
Health authorities say the outbreak has been caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no vaccine currently exists. The World Health Organisation has said it could take up to nine months before a vaccine is ready.
DR Congo plan to base themselves in Houston during the World Cup and will open their Group K campaign against Portugal on June 17 before facing Colombia in Guadalajara and Uzbekistan in Atlanta.