DR Congo refuse to follow USA warning over World Cup preparations after being told to isolate for three weeks before North America trip

The Congolese national team has no intention of altering its training programme despite a stern warning from United States authorities regarding strict health protocols. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, confirmed that the delegation must maintain a "bubble" for 21 days before arrival or risk being barred from the tournament. The directive follows a deadly outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the central African country.

"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."

Despite the ultimatum, a spokesperson for the Congolese team revealed that their pre-tournament friendlies against Denmark and Chile will go ahead as planned. This directly conflicts with the isolation demand, as the squad is scheduled to play in Belgium and Spain during the window in which they have been told to remain in a secure bubble. The team is set to face Denmark in Liege on June 3 before travelling to Cadiz to play Chile six days later.

According to Reuters, a team official stated: "We have kept our training programme. No player in the squad has come from DR Congo. The friendly matches are still scheduled. The only modification to the programme has been the cancellation of the Kinshasa leg." 

The team had originally planned a celebratory trip to their capital city before the tournament, which will mark their first World Cup appearance in 52 years, but those plans were scrapped earlier this week.

The Congolese federation argues that because their entire playing squad and coaching staff, including manager Sebastien Desabre, are based in Europe, the risk is minimal. While a few team officials did travel from the DRC to the Belgian training camp recently, the squad itself has been isolated from the worst-hit areas. However, the World Health Organization has raised the risk level to "very high," complicating the diplomatic situation between the football federation and the United States government.

The World Health Organization 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, prompting the high-level intervention from the World Cup host nation's health task force.

DR Congo are scheduled to be based in Houston during the tournament, with a high-profile opening fixture against Portugal on June 17. Their Group K campaign continues against Colombia in Guadalajara, Mexico, followed by a final group game against Uzbekistan in Atlanta. If the United States follows through on its threat to deny entry, it could lead to a chaotic reshuffling of the tournament schedule just weeks before the big kick-off.