DR Congo seek World Cup ticket refunds after Ebola outbreak

DR Congo seek World Cup ticket refunds after Ebola outbreakImage source, AFP via Getty ImagesImage caption, Fans from DR Congo face restrictions on entering the United States for the Fifa World Cup following an outbreak of the Ebola virusByCelestine KaroneyBBC Sport AfricaPublished37 minutes agoThe Democratic Republic of Congo have asked Fifa to refund the cost of 2026 World Cup tickets bought by fans who are now unable to enter the United States because of Ebola-related travel restrictions.The Leopards are returning to football's biggest stage for the first time since 1974, but the public health emergency declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 16 May is threatening to stop supporters from travelling to the US.Officials say there are more than 900 suspected cases of Ebola in central and East Africa, and 223 suspected deaths, since the outbreak was declared.The vast majority of those cases and fatalities have been in DR Congo, and the US embassy in the capital Kinshasa has suspended visa services.While the WHO has not advised on imposing travel restrictions, the US has barred entry from non-Americans who have been in DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days."We asked Fifa if this is possible to take this into consideration, because the tickets are little bit expensive," Veron Mosengo-Omba, the president of DR Congo's football federation (Fecofa), told BBC Sport Africa."They are punished because they cannot get [in to the US] to see the World Cup to support their team."We don't want our supporters who love football, who love the World Cup, to lose everything."What is Ebola and why is stopping the latest outbreak so difficult?AttributionNewsPublished4 days agoAfrican fans face World Cup issues despite visa bond U-turnPublished14 MayThe US is hosting the World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, with tickets as much as seven times more expensive than the 2022 tournament in Qatar because of Fifa's dynam...