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Nigeria’s chances of reaching the world cup next month have received a major boost following the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Nigeria was beaten by the Congolese in the World Cup qualifying playoff and filed a protest questioning the eligibility of some players in the Congolese team.
Their protest was dismissed by FIFA, but they now have a window in case the DRC were not granted clearance to play in the world cup due to the virus.
The Ebola outbreak affecting the country was classified by the WHO as an international health crisis due to the high number of infections and deaths.
This emergency has led the local Football Federation to cancel its concentration in Kinshasa and move it to Belgium, where the team will prepare for matches against Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan (Group K rivals).
Although the 26 players were called up abroad and have not recently returned home, the situation is being continuously monitored by FIFA, also following the United States’ decision to introduce temporary entry restrictions for those who have been in risk areas, complicating the matches in Houston (against Portugal) and Atlanta (against Uzbekistan).
In Mexico, the Minister of Health, Kershenobich, has issued an epidemiological alert before the Guadalajara match (against Colombia), which has led local experts to request a 21-day quarantine for African players and a ban on entry to their fans, as reported by Sportmediaset.
If these restrictions somehow prevented the DRC from participating in the competition, a place in the main draw would be freed up and FIFA would decide which national teams would be eligible to complete the roster.
This could therefore provide a new window of opportunity for Nigeria or Jamaica, who were defeated by the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the intercontinental playoff, although this prospect currently seems very remote.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
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