DR Congo to play final World Cup warm up in France

The match was originally scheduled to take place in the southern Spanish town of La Linea de la Concepcion, but the mayor, Juan Franco, issued a ban as a “precautionary measure” due to the Ebola outbreak.

The World Health Organization declared an international health emergency over an Ebola outbreak which was first reported on May 15 in northeastern Congo.

According to the WHO, there have been more than 500 confirmed cases, including dozens of deaths, recorded in the DRC and neighbouring Uganda.

Despite the concerns, Congolese football officials insist that none of the players called up for the national team are based in the country.

The squad has been training in Marbella, southern Spain in recent days and set off on Monday for Orleans in central France.

Chile published a video on social media of its players, saying that they had already arrived in Paris.

DR Congo recently drew 0-0 with Denmark in Belgium, where a large ethnic Congolese support was visible in the 23,000-strong crowd.

Congo’s preparations for the upcoming World Cup have been affected by the outbreak, forcing them to cancel a planned training camp at home and base themselves in Europe instead.

The Congolese side are preparing for their first World Cup appearance since 1974, when they competed as Zaire.

They play in Group K alongside Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan.

With matches scheduled across the United States and Mexico, US authorities have required the team to undergo a 21-day isolation period before entering the country.