In a shocking development, Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Enock Mwepu has been forced to retire from professional football after he was diagnosed with a hereditary cardiac condition. The condition, which can worsen over time, could put the midfielder at high risk of suffering potential fatal cardiac event if he continued playing competitive football.
Enock Mwepu is a 24-year-old footballer, who played for Zambian professional football team and Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg in 2017 before moving to England in 2021.
Head coach Roberto De Zerbi empathized Mwepu's condition and said, "I am so sorry for Enock. Before I arrived, I looked at all the squad, and he was a player I was so excited and looking forward to working with. We will do everything we can to help him."
During the international break, Enock Mwepu was flying to join up with Zambia when he got ill and spent a period in hospital in Mali. He, then, returned to Brighton to undergo further cardiac tests and ongoing care that revealed the young midfielder is suffering from a hereditary cardiac condition, which eventually worsen in life. The club noted that the condition was not previously evident on regular cardiac screening.
Unfortunately, the cardiac condition of Enock will intensify if he continues playing competitive football and the footballer has been advised to take retirement from the sport.
In July 2021, Enock Mwepu joined Brighton and went on to play 27 games for the club. For Brighton, Enock scored three goals including strikes against Liverpool and Arsenal at the Anfield and the Emirates Stadium respectively.
