Club pressure forced Guinea winger Bangoura to skip Ghana clash, fears attack on his family

Published on: 10 October 2014
Club pressure forced Guinea winger Bangoura to skip Ghana clash, fears attack on his family
Rayo Vallecano's Guinea forward Lass Bangoura has returned to Spain due to fears over the Ebola outbreak in his home country.

Guinea forward Lass Bangoura says he left his national team ahead of Saturday's clash against Ghana to calm the fears of his Spanish club team-mates who were worried about the Ebola outbreak but fears his family back home could be attacked by irate fans.

The Sylli National are playing their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations home qualifier against the Black Stars in Morocco on Saturday due to the outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease in the West African country.

Lass was called to play for Guinea in its 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ghana on Friday, which had been moved from Guinea to Morocco because of concerns about Ebola.

The Rayo Vallecano forward joined his national team-mates in Casablanca but has returned to Spain over fears he could catch the Ebola virus while on international duty with Guinea.

Bangoura says he withdrew from the squad over concerns about being in contact with Guinea-based staff and officials which could have a trickle-down effect on his team-mates at Vallecano.

"When they told me my team-mates were worried, I made the decision to come back, speak with them, and tell them that they shouldn't be afraid," Bangoura said.

“In Morocco I was there with my teammates. We were not talking about Ebola, just about football and the game against Ghana. I was not concerned about the people coming from Guinea, I was just there with the group.

"If you have a fever, or something else, you do not come with the national team … [But] I came back as I did not want problems with Rayo, and so that my team-mates would trust in me.”

The winger fears that supporters of the national team could vent their spleen on his family in the Guinean capital as they might not understand the reason why he abandoned the team ahead of the crucial clash.

“I do not know if people in Guinea will understand why I left my national team to go back with my club," Bangoura said.

"I am a bit worried for my family [in Guinea], because I might be attacked for this. I must talk with them to see what is happening.”

The first cases of Ebola were confirmed in Guinea in March.

The outbreak has killed more than 3,800 people, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Ebola has reached Spain also.

A Spanish nursing assistant caught Ebola after treating a sick missionary brought back to Madrid.

The winger has now returned to Madrid – where a nurse this week became the first person in Europe to be diagnosed with the disease.

Spanish authorities now have seven people in quarantine and another 84 under observation.

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