Yoane Wissa plans cancelled as Newcastle United star prepares for World Cup debut
Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa has seen his World Cup preparations impacted.
Yoane Wissa’s preparations for the World Cup have been forced to change because of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Wissa has endured a difficult debut season at Newcastle United following his £55million move from Brentford last summer but can look forward to representing his country at their first World Cup since 1974 next month.
In preparation for the tournament, which takes place across the United States, Canada and Mexico, Wissa and his international teammates were set to take part in a three-day training camp in the capital city of Kinshasa before travelling to Belgium and Spain to play two warm-up friendlies against Denmark and Chile.
Yoane Wissa’s World Cup preparations affected
Those friendly matches in Europe are due to go ahead as planned, however the Ebola outbreak has caused the training camp in their home city to be cancelled. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called the outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern" but said it was not at pandemic level.
Jerry Kalemo, the DR Congo team’s spokesman said: “There were three stages of preparation: in Kinshasa to say goodbye to the public, Belgium and Spain with two friendly matches … and the third stage from 11 June in Houston. Only one stage was cancelled – the one in Kinshasa,” said the team’s spokesman, Jerry Kalemo.
The US's public health agency has banned entry from non-Americans who have been in the DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days, in response to the Ebola outbreak.
All DR Congo's players are based outside the central African country and will therefore not be affected by the restrictions now the training camp has been cancelled.
Some team staff based in DR Congo left the country on Wednesday ahead of the 21-day deadline.
DR Congo qualified for the World Cup by beating Jamaica in their play-off game in March, and have been drawn in Group K, where they face Portugal in Houston in their opening game on June 17 before going up against Colombia and Uzbekistan.