Sebastien Desabre is leading the DR Congo squad after officials told the team to isolate for 21 days before they can enter the United States because of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The order, driven by U.S. entry rules and a World Health Organization escalation of concern, comes as DR Congo prepare for their first World Cup in 52 years and face an arrival deadline in Houston on June 11 ahead of their opening match against Portugal on June 17.
The WHO on Friday raised the public health risk from the outbreak in DR Congo from high to very high and declared the situation in DR Congo and neighbouring Uganda an emergency of international concern; nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths have been recorded in the outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has banned entry to non-Americans who have been in DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days, and U.S. officials have told the delegation they must maintain an isolated bubble while training overseas or risk being denied travel to the United States.
Andrew Giuliani, speaking to reporters and later to, put the requirement bluntly: "They need to maintain that bubble or they risk not being able to travel to the United States. We cannot be any clearer." He warned that anyone who joins the group from the affected countries could imperil the team's travel: "If they end up coming, and any of those people end up symptomatic, they are risking the entire team being able to come and compete in this World Cup." Giuliani also said, "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."
Weight for the schedule is clear: DR Congo are in Group K at the World Cup with Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan, and their tournament runs from June 11 to July 19. Before that they are due to play friendlies against Denmark on June 3 in Liege, Belgium, and Chile on June 9 in Cadiz, Spain, and then travel to Houston on June 11 to prepare for the June 17 opener against Portugal. Their remaining group games are set for June 23 in Guadalajara against Colombia and June 27 in Atlanta versus Uzbekistan.
Context matters here: the team's training camp in Kinshasa was cancelled because of the outbreak, so the squad are now training in Belgium. All of DR Congo's players are based outside the country, mostly in Europe, and no player in the squad has come from DR Congo — a fact that officials say should limit the impact of the 21-day isolation rule. The entire squad, including coach Sebastien Desabre, is therefore unlikely to be personally affected by the CDC restriction now that the Kinshasa camp has been cancelled.
Tension sits in a small detail. A few team officials did arrive at the Belgian training camp from the DRC earlier this week, and those arrivals are precisely the kind of movement U.S. officials say could break the bubble. The team’s own spokesperson said on Saturday there was no change to their schedule at this stage, but U.S. authorities have repeatedly warned the delegation it must keep travelers from affected areas separate: "If there are other people that are going to be coming in, they need to have a separate bubble from that team," Giuliani said.
Everything now hinges on the bubble. If the dr congo national football team and its staff keep their training environment sealed and the officials who have recently arrived from Kinshasa remain isolated from the players for the required 21 days, the players — who are based abroad — should be able to make the flight to Houston and meet the World Cup schedule. If that separation fails, the CDC ban gives U.S. officials a clear legal route to block entry, and with it the chance for DR Congo to play in their first World Cup in 52 years could be endangered.
