November 13, (THEWILL) – The Durres Prosecutor’s Office in Albania has begun an investigation into the sudden death of Ghanaian footballer, Raphael Dwamena, during a match on Saturday. Prosecutors raided the offices of Dwamena’s club, FK Egnatia, to seize medical records and interrogate club doctors and staff as the probe gets underway.
The 27-year-old Dwamena collapsed on the pitch just 23 minutes into Egnatia’s game against Partizani Tirana, as THEWILL reported. Despite immediate medical attention and resuscitation efforts, the striker passed away shortly after being stretchered off. A report from a forensic expert is expected to be added to the case file.
Dwamena’s career had been affected by heart issues since 2017 when a £10 million transfer to Brighton broke down after he failed a medical. He later had a implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) fitted to monitor and correct heart rhythm issues.
In 2021, the ICD activated and shocked Dwamena’s heart back into rhythm when he collapsed during a match in Austria. However, Dwamena continued his football career, recently excelling at Egnatia with 20 goals this season. Tragically, his ICD could not prevent his death on Saturday.
Tributes have poured in from Dwamena’s former clubs, including FC Zürich, where he starred in the 2017/2018 season. Prosecutors will continue investigating to determine the circumstances around Dwamena’s sudden passing and how it could have been prevented.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
