A tragic death has international football once again mourning the loss of a professional player. Former Ghana international Raphael Dwamena died on Saturday shortly after collapsing in his Albanian first division club KF Egnatia’s league game against Partizan Tirana. The striker, who played with a heart defect and whose death was confirmed by the Albania association, had celebrated his 28th birthday less than two months ago.
Dwamena, who scored twice in eight international appearances for his homeland between 2017 and 2018, collapsed on the pitch for no apparent reason 24 minutes after kick-off in Egnatia’s game against Partizan. According to media reports, the African remained motionless for several minutes despite first aid measures from his teammates and opponents before he was transported to a hospital by an ambulance. In the clinic, however, the treating doctors could only determine that the athlete was dead.
Dwamena had the defibrillator removed
Signs known so far point to sudden cardiac death as the cause of Dwamena’s death. In 2017, during a medical check by doctors at the English professional club Brighton & Hove Albion, the then 21-year-old attacker was diagnosed with a heart defect, as a result of which the British decided not to sign the attacker from the Swiss first division club FC Zurich.
However, Dwamena was able to continue his career with the Swiss, who reacted in a statement with “stunned and dismayed” to the news of the death of their former player: FCZ doctors certified that the goalscorer was a top scorer in his career, except in Albania and Switzerland played for clubs in Austria, Spain and Denmark, despite his health limitations he was sufficiently fit for competitive professional football.
Dwamena initially had a device to record any disturbances in cardiac activity and, in 2020, a defibrillator implanted. However, the professional had the device, which was considered a lifesaver, removed from his body some time later.
