DR Congo adjusts World Cup training due to Ebola outbreak

The Football Association of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced Thursday that it has revised the national team’s World Cup preparation schedule in response to the latest Ebola outbreak in the country.

The announcement came as the United States, one of this year’s World Cup co-hosts, declared to tighten entry protocols on Monday. U.S. authorities now impose a 30-day entry restriction on non-U.S. passport holders who have visited the DR Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within the past 21 days.

Under the adjusted plan, the Leopards have canceled their domestic training camp and relocated part of their pre-tournament preparations to Belgium, where several squad members currently play for European clubs.

The U.S. side clarified that the measures would not affect the DR Congo’s participation or preparations, noting that the team is currently conducting training activities in Europe and is therefore not subject to the travel restrictions targeting arrivals from affected regions.

Health authorities in the DR Congo are working to contain the latest Ebola outbreak, which had resulted in 160 suspected deaths out of 670 suspected cases as of Thursday.

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