Brighton Midfielder Enock Mwepu Forced To Retire From Football At Age 24, Due To Heart Problems.
Enock Mwepu, a midfielder for Brighton and Hove Albion, has been forced to give up football at the age of 24 following the diagnosis of a hereditary heart condition.
The Premier League team claimed that if Mwepu kept playing, the condition, which could worsen over time, would put him at an extremely high risk of suffering a potentially fatal cardiac event.
Mwepu had lately become sick while traveling to Mali with the Zambian national squad.
After arriving in West Africa last month, he was unable to train and was hospitalized for four days.
Upon Mwepu's return to England, he underwent further testing, and according to Brighton, the results indicated that his "only alternative" was to retire.
"The tests have concluded that his illness is due to a hereditary cardiac condition, which manifests later in life and was not previously evident on regular cardiac screening," Brighton said in an official statement via the club's website.
"Sadly, this can be exacerbated by playing sport so Enock has been advised that the only option, for the sake of his own safety, is for him to stop playing football."
Mwepu said he was retiring with "sadness", adding he had lived his dream by reaching the Premier League but that "some dreams come to an end".
"This is, however, not the end of my involvement in football, I plan to stay involved in some capacity," he said in a post on Twitter.
— Enock Mwepu (@EnockMwepu45) October 10, 2022
The versatile player signed a four-year contract with Brighton in July 2021 from Red Bull Salzburg for a rumoured sum of £18 million.
In 27 games for the team, he scored three goals, and his last game was the 5-2 victory over Leicester City in September.
The Computer. 🖥️ An amazing person, an amazing player and some amazing memories. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/lAB1wwbFr8
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) October 10, 2022
Adam Brett, the head of medicine and performance at Brighton, said: "It's a terrible blow for Enock, but he has to put his family and his health first, and this is the right choice, no matter how tough it is for him to give up the sport 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."
Francisco, is the younger brother of Mwepu, plays professional football for Sturm Graz in Austria. He is 22 years old.
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