Brighton have confirmed that Enock Mwepu has been forced to finish his enjoying profession following the prognosis of a hereditary heart condition.
The Zambia worldwide, 24, who joined Brighton for round £20m from Red Bull Salzburg final July, was taken sick whereas on a flight to be a part of up along with his nationwide facet in the course of the worldwide break. Mwepu was admitted to hospital in Mali earlier than returning to Brighton for additional cardiac exams and ongoing care.
According to an announcement from Brighton, the exams “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.”
“A boy from a small Zambian township called Chambishi has news to share,” Mwepu wrote in a message on Twitter. “He stood strong to follow his dreams of playing football at the highest level, and by grace of God, he lived his dream by reaching the Premier League.
“Some dreams, however, have an end, so it is with sadness that I announce the need to hang up my boots because of the medical advice I received. This is but not the end of my involvement in football, I intend to stay involved to some degree. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported me in my football trip including my wife and family, my agent 12MAN, the Zambian FA, all my past team-mates and coaches, specially everyone at Brighton & Hove Albion.”
Club chairman Tony Bloom stated: “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. 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.”
Head coach Roberto De Zerbi added: “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.”
Mwepu – who was generally known as “The Computer” in his homeland for his potential to learn the sport – began Brighton’s 5-2 win over Leicester final month in what proved to be his closing match for the membership. He made 27 appearances in complete for Brighton and gained 23 caps for Zambia.
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