Brighton have announced that their player Enoch Mwepu has had to put a premature end to his professional career at the age of 24 due to a heart condition.
“Enock Mwepu has been forced to end his playing career following the diagnosis of a hereditary heart condition,” the club stated today.
“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.”
Club chairman Tony Bloom said: “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.”
The club’s Head of Medicine and Performance, Adam Brett, explained: “It is a terrible blow for Enock, but he has to put his health and his family first and this is the right choice, however difficult it is to quit the game he loves.”
The club narrated how Mwepu’s condition was discovered.
“Mwepu (who made 23 appearances for Zambia) was taken ill while on a flight to join up with the national team during the international break and after a period in hospital in Mali he returned to Brighton to undergo further cardiac tests and ongoing care,” Brighton noted.
“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.”
Brett continued: “Of course, given this is Enock’s career and a decision which can’t be taken lightly we have taken our time to be as thorough as possible, completed advanced cardiac investigations and collaborated with clinical experts to gain the best second opinions for Enock.
“We will be helping him make sure the condition is managed with the appropriate treatment for him to otherwise live a long and healthy life.’’
Mwepu joined Brighton from Red Bull Salzburg in July 2021 and has made 27 appearances for the English club, scoring three times and assisting seven times.
He spent most of his young career at Salzburg, for whom he made 119 appearances, with 18 goals and 20 assists.
