DR Congo end 52-year World Cup absence amid health, security crises
JOHANNESBURG: Democratic Republic of Congo will return to the World Cup in June after a 52-year absence as the vast central Africa nation reels from health and security crises. A deadly Ebola outbreak in the east of the country had recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected deaths by May 24. The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the true spread of the epidemic, thought to have circulated under the radar for some time, is likely much wider. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from Ethiopia is heading to DR Congo, pledging to do “everything in my power” to conquer the outbreak. Fortunately, none of the 26 stars chosen to represent DR Congo at the four-yearly global showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico, play in the affected areas. French coach Sebastien Desabre selected 24 players from 11 European countries, one with a club in the United Arab Emirates and one with Egyptian outfit Pyramids. As the Ebola epidemic spreads and scientists race to develop a vaccine to combat it, fighting between government troops and the Rwanda-backed M23 militia has been raging. The mineral-rich east of the country has been scarred by violence from various armed groups for more than three decades. From 2021, the M23 has seized swathes of territory and fighting has stepped up since the beginning of last year. The national football team, known as the Leopards, are training in Europe ahead of Group K showdowns with Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan. Having survived a marathon 13-match qualifying program from Mauritania to Mexico, Desabre and his squad want to erase memories of 1974 in then West Germany. Then called Zaire, the first sub-Saharan qualifiers for the World Cup suffered a