Congo seeks new route for Chile World Cup warmup after Spanish Ebola concerns

MADRID (AP) — Congo’s football authorities were still trying to keep a World Cup warmup match with Chile on the calendar after the mayor of La Linea de la Concepcion, in Spain, refused to approve the fixture over worries tied to the Ebola situation.

The Congo football federation said talks were under way with Spain’s football federation and the relevant international organisations as it looked for a way forward.

Officials in the southern Spanish city said the friendly planned for next Tuesday would not be authorised, pointing to possible public health concerns connected to the Ebola crisis.

Congo also had a warmup match against Denmark scheduled for Wednesday in Liege, Belgium.

Congo and Uganda have been affected by an outbreak involving a rare strain of the Ebola virus. The World Health Organization has classified the situation as a public health emergency of international concern.

Because of the outbreak in eastern Congo, the national team had already scrapped a three-day training camp for World Cup preparation, as well as a planned send-off event for supporters in the capital, Kinshasa.

Every player in the Congo squad, along with French head coach Sébastien Desabre, is based outside the central African country. Most of the players are attached to clubs in France.

FIFA, the sport’s world governing body, had earlier said it knew about the Ebola outbreak and was keeping watch on developments. It also said it was working closely with Congo football officials so the team would receive all medical and security advice.

Congo are drawn in Group K for the World Cup. Their first match is against Portugal in Houston on June 17.

The Leopards are then due to meet Colombia in Guadalajara on June 23 before closing group play against Uzbekistan in Atlanta on June 27.

The country’s return to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, when it competed as Zaire, set off celebrations across Congo, a nation long scarred by years of conflict.