DR Congo players asked to 'isolate' before FIFA World Cup due to Ebola, but they say 'no change in plans'

The Ebola virus outbreak has cast a shadow on the upcoming FIFA World Cup next month, with co-hosts the United States asking the Democratic Republic of Congo delegation to isolate before arriving in the country.

However, the Congo team brushed off the demand, saying that they have no plans to change their preparations for the World Cup co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada. 

A team spokesperson said that at this stage, there was no change to their schedule, which includes a friendly against Denmark in Liege, Belgium, on June 3 and another against Chile in Cadiz, Spain, six days later, according to a Reuters report. "We have kept our training programme. No player in the squad has come from DR Congo," the official said.

This comes after the executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, Andrew Giuliani, told ESPN that the Congolese delegation needed to maintain a bubble where they are training in Belgium and isolate for 21 days or risk being denied entry after a deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus in the central African country.

The Congolese team are to be based in Houston at the tournament and will play an opening Group K fixture against Portugal on June 17, 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 told 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," he added. 

However, Congo hit back, saying that the entire squad is based outside the country, mostly in Europe, including coach Sebastien Desabre. A few team officials arrived at the training camp in Belgium from the DRC earlier this week. The team had planned a three-day trip to Kinshasa next week as a celebratory send-off before they head to their first World Cup in 52 years, but that trip has been cancelled.

The World Health Organisation on Friday raised to "very high" the risk of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola turning into a national outbreak in the DRC and has declared the outbreak there and in neighbouring Uganda an emergency ​of international concern.

Nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths have been recorded following the outbreak in DRC.

(With Reuters inputs)