Brighton Football Club and Zambia midfielder, Enock Mwepu has retired at the age of 24 after he was diagnosed with a hereditary heart condition.
The midfielder made the announcement recently as he hasn’t played a match for his club since September.
According to a statement released by Brighton, Mwepu took ill during a flight to Mali last month while he was away on international duty with Zambia.
Subsequent tests have revealed a hereditary heart condition which means that Mwepu will have to quit playing football.
Part of Brighton’s statement read: “The condition, which can worsen over time, would put Enock at an extremely high risk of suffering a potentially fatal cardiac event if he were to continue playing competitive football.”
The Chairman of Brighton, Tony Bloom, said: “We are all absolutely devastated for Enock. He and his family have had a traumatic few weeks and while we are just thankful he has come through that period, he has seen such a promising career cut short at such a young age…”
While expressing his disappointment, Brighton’s new head coach, Roberto De Zerbi, said: “I am so sorry for Enock. Before I arrived, I looked at the squad, and he was a player I was so excited about and looking forward to working with. We will do everything we can to help him.”
The captain of Zambia’s national team penned an emotional message on his social media accounts to confirm the sad development. He wrote: “A boy from a small Zambian township called Chambishi has some news to share. He stood strong to follow his dream of playing football at the highest level, and by the grace of God he lived his dream by reaching the Premier League. Some dreams however come to an end, so it is with sadness that I announce the need to hang up my boots because of the medical advice I have received.”
Mwepu joined Brighton from RB Salzburg in 2021 and made 27 appearances for the Seagulls, scoring three goals including a memorable strike at Anfield against Liverpool in October 2021.
He is nicknamed ‘The Computer’ due to his superb positional sense in midfield.
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