In a shocking revelation, Brighton midfielder Enock Mwepu has been forced to retire from football at the age of 24. The reason behind this is a hereditary heart condition that will only get worse with age. And playing football at the level of the Premier League will only make it worse for the player.
Mwepu made 27 appearances for the club, with six of them coming this season. He joined them last year from RB Salzburg and was also the captain of the Zambia national team.
Enock Mwepu retires from football at 24 due to heart condition
“Enock Mwepu has been forced to end his playing career following the diagnosis of a hereditary heart condition,” Brighton said in a statement.
“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.”
“Enock was taken ill while on a flight to join up with Zambia during the international break and after a period in hospital in Mali he returned to Brighton to undergo further cardiac tests and ongoing care.
“These 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. 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.”
