Ebola will not stop Eagles/DRC friendly, says Dalung

Youths and Sports Development Minister, Solomon Dalung has said that the recent Ebola outbreak in Democratic of Congo will not halt the scheduled friendly match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the DRC National team in the build-up to the World Cup in Russia.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are set to face Democratic Republic of Congo in a friendly match to hold on May 25, 2018.Dalung yesterday hinted that the DRC contingent will be thoroughly screened in their home country and thereafter go through another round of screening on arrival in Nigeria. 

Fielding questions from State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Mohammadu Buhari, the Minister said the football administrators in the country in collaboration with the Ministry of Health have already put a strict screening policies in place to ensure that the match takes place.

“Nigeria will play the friendly with DRC. I have discussed with the Federal Ministry of Health with the World Health Organization in participation, we have reviewed the situation and received adequate information about it. So we have agreed on major approaches.

One, the DRC team is coming through a chartered flight and those coming for the match will be using that chartered flight and they would have been screened from the DRC and they will be screened here in Nigeria.

“No other person will be admitted using any other means of transportation for the match. We also discovered that the Ebola outbreak is limited to a particular place and it has not escalated. So we wouldn’t want to run the risk of setting a precedent, which we will later be a victim.

“Based on that we only introduced strict policies to ensure that the match takes place and the match will take place,” he said.Dalung assured that the Super Eagles will be in Russia to win the World trophy and not as mere participants to make up the numbers.“We are going to Russia as contestants and not as participants. As to what stage Nigeria will reach this time, we are not going there to end mid way, we are going there for the cup and we will do everything possible within our best to make sure that realised our ambitions.”