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EBOLA: Super Eagles friendly with DR Congo may be called off

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Super Eagles

Following the outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo, there is a high possibility that the international friendly match between the central African nation and the Super Eagles of Nigeria will be called off.

The Eagles are scheduled to host DR Congo in a pre-World Cup friendly in Port Harcourt on May 28 before traveling to London to face the Three Lions of England.

The game, which has been designed to canvass support from Nigerians before the team will head out for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, is now being threatened by the outbreak of the killer disease.

Although some reports have it that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have contacted FIFA and CAF about the possibilities of cancelling the friendly game, the NFF is yet to make any official statement concerning the development.

But to protect Nigeria from the disease, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced that it is taking swift action to make sure Ebola does not enter the country.

Read Also: W’CUP: Eagles to play Congo DR friendly in Port Harcourt

BBC Yoruba quoted NIS spokesperson Sunday James as saying: “We are sending a signal to all entry points in the country. The intention is to ensure that any suspected case can be promptly handed over to health officials at the airports. This is a matter which everybody must be concerned about. All hands must be on deck.”

It can be recalled that the Ebola outbreak of 2014 saw over 11,000 people killed. Casualties were mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The disease also spread to Nigeria when Patrick Sawyer, who was infected with the virus, flew into the country from Liberia.

Eight people died, including Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, who first attended to Mr Sawyer and helped to ensure a more devastating outbreak was avoided in Nigeria.

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