Raphael Dwamena dies after collapsing on the pitch

Ghanaian striker Raphael Dwamena becomes the latest footballer to meet his untimely death while playing football in a match. He becomes the third Ghanaian to do so joining a sad list that includes two former Accra Hearts of Oak stars.

Raphael Dwamena died after collapsing on the pitch while playing for Egnatia against Partizani in the Albania First Tier National Football Super League. The striker who has scored nine goals in 10 league matches for the Albania outfit so far this season collapsed in the 23rd minute of the game. He was the leading scorer in the league with nine goals as Egnatia led the league with 27 points.

His unfortunate passing comes about four years after a new diagnosis of a heart problem recommended his retirement from football. He was in the books of the Spanish club Levante UD at the time. However, in January 2020, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) was implanted in his heart to enable his club to monitor his heart performance. In October 2020, while with the Danish side Vejle Boldklub, the ICD showed values too high prompting the club to withdraw him from team activities.

A year later in October 2021, Raphael Dwamena while playing for Blau-Weiss Linz’s game against Harterg in the Austrian Cup collapsed on the pitch. He was shocked by the ICD and stabilized quickly.

However, the striker was not fortunate this time to survive after collapsing on the pitch. The centre referee and players rushed to the aid of the Ghanaian striker while an ambulance was quickly dispatched to convey him to the hospital for treatment. He died on the way as he was transported to the Kavajë Hospital for further attention.

Raphael Dwamena has played three times for the Black Stars in a career that has now ended tragically. In his three appearances, the last of which came in 2017, he scored two goals. He also played club football for clubs such as Liefering, Austria Lustenau, FC Zurich and Real Zaragoza in Spain.