Due to an Ebola outbreak in their ?country, members of Congo’s national soccer team must isolate before entering the US for the World Cup.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, confirmed to ESPN on Friday that the Congolese delegation must maintain a bubble where they currently are training in Belgium and isolate for 21 days or risk being denied entry.
Congo is in Group K for this summer’s World Cup in North America. Its first game is against Portugal on ?June 17 ?in Houston, followed by matches against Colombia on ?June ?23 in Guadalajara, ?Mexico, and against Uzbekistan on June 27 in Atlanta.
“We’ve been very clear to Congo that they should maintain the integrity of their bubble for 21 days before they can then come to Houston on June 11,” Giuliani said, per ESPN. “We’ve made it very clear to the Congo government as well, ?that they need to maintain that bubble ?or they risk not being ?able to travel to the United States. We cannot be any ?clearer.”
All of Congo’s team members, along with French head ?coach Sebastien Desabre, are based outside of the central African country.