October 11 – The risk of cardiac arrest among professional footballers has once again been brought into sharp focus with Brighton and Hove Albion’s Zambian midfielder Enock Mwepu forced to retire at the age of just 24.
Mwepu fell ill while on a flight to link up with his Zambia teammates in the international break last month and returned to the English Premier League club to undergo further cardiac tests after a period in hospital in Mali.
A statement revealed that Mwepu would have an extremely high risk of suffering a “fatal cardiac arrest” should he continue playing competitive football.
The versatile player joined Brighton from Red Bull Salzburg on a four-year deal for a fee reported to be £18 million in July 2021.
Mwepu insisted he is still planning to remain in football in some capacity after having to cut short his career.
“It is with sadness that I announce the need to hang up by boots because of the medical advice I have received. This is not the end of my involvement in football, I plan to stay involved in some capacity.”
Brighton’s head of medicine and performance Adam Brett said: “It is a terrible blow for Enock, but he has to put his health and his family first and this is the right choice, however difficult it is to quit the game he loves. Given this is Enock’s career and a decision which can’t be taken lightly, we have taken our time to be as thorough as possible, completed advanced cardiac investigations and collaborated with clinical experts to gain the best second opinions for Enock.
“We will be helping him make sure the condition is managed with the appropriate treatment for him to otherwise live a long and healthy life.”
Mwepu’s younger brother Francisco, 22, is also a professional footballer for Austrian side Sturm Graz.
Heart problems affecting professional players are unusual but still occur sporadically.
Manchester City’s all-time record goalscorer Sergio Aguero retired age 33, less than six months after joining Barcelona. And Former Manchester United defender Daley Blind was diagnosed with a heart condition in December 2019 but returned to playing after having an implantable cardioverter defribrillator (ICD) fitted.
The most publicised recent case was that of Denmark’s Christian Eriksen who also has an ICD fitted following a cardiac arrest while playing for his country at Euro 2020 that shocked the footballing world.
Eight years earlier Fabrice Muamba’s heart stopped for 78 minutes while playing for Bolton during a game at Tottenham Hotspur. Whilst he miraculously survived, tragically Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe died after collapsing during an international match in France in 2003.
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