NAIROBI, May 25. /TASS/. The world’s governing football body, FIFA, and the Congolese Association Football Federation (FECOFA) both say that the players and coaching staff of the national team of the Democratic Republic of Congo followed sanitary measures amid the outbreak of the Ebola virus and would be eligible to safely enter the United States to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the FECOFA stated in a statement on Monday.
"FECOFA informed FIFA that it took every measure to avoid risks associated with the epidemic and to comply with the sanitary protocol introduced by the US government," the statement reads.
"FECOFA has made it clear that all of the players are eligible to play at the World Cup, as well as most of the coaching staff, who [currently] live and work in Europe, so there is no reason to worry about them being potentially infected," according to the statement.
"Regarding the technical staff, who left Kinshasa traveling to Belgium for training camp, they left the country on May 20 and will spend at least 21 days in Europe before heading to the United States," the statement continued.
"Therefore, FECOFA and FIFA concluded after their meeting that the players and coaching staff had adhered to the sanitary measures introduced by the US authorities, and the country's delegation is fully focused on preparing for the World Cup," the statement added.
