BRIGHTON, England (AP) — Brighton midfielder Enock Mwepu has retired from soccer at the age of 24 because of a hereditary heart condition, the Premier League club said Monday.
Mwepu became ill last month on a flight to join the Zambia national team squad in Mali and was treated in a hospital there. He had further medical tests in England.
“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,” Brighton said in a statement.
The Premier League club said the health problem was not seen on previous cardiac screening tests, which top-level soccer players routinely undergo each season.
“We are all absolutely devastated for Enock,” Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said. “As a club we will give him all the love, help and support we possibly can to make a full recovery, and then as he decides on the next steps in his life.”
Mwepu made his debut for Zambia as a teenager while he was playing for Salzburg. He won four Austrian league titles with Salzburg and played in the Champions League on a team with Erling Haaland. He joined Brighton last year.
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