Online Reporter
THE Democratic Republic of Congo, whose FIFA World Cup preparations have been disrupted by concerns over the Ebola outbreak, lost 2–1 to Chile in a warm-up match played behind closed doors in France on Tuesday.
The friendly was originally due to be played in a city in southern Spain, but the mayor refused to host the match due to concerns over the virus. It was instead held in Orleans without spectators.
The World Health Organisation declared an international health emergency over an Ebola outbreak which was first reported on May 15 in North Eastern DR Congo.
The team scrapped a planned pre-World Cup training camp at home last month as a result.
DR Congo will be making their first World Cup appearance since 1974, when they competed as Zaire.
They play in Group K alongside Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan. Games in that section will be staged in the US and Mexico.
The US has banned non-Americans who have been in DR Congo in the previous 21 days from visiting due to the outbreak.
However, the team is not expected to be impacted by the ban, as they have been training in Europe for weeks. — AFP.
