Former Ghana forward Raphael Dwamena died at the age of 28 while playing in the Albanian Super League for KF Egnatia when he collapsed on the pitch at the weekend.
His club announced on social media that the player had passed away, despite the medical team’s best efforts on the pitch. The incident happened in the 23rd minute in a clash between Egnatia and Partizani Tirana and later the match was called off with the score at 1-1.
Ghana Football Association (GFA) confirmed the news by saying: “Our thoughts are with the family of Raphael Dwamena at this difficult time,” adding: “Raphael represented Ghana wholeheartedly and paid his dues to the country until his unfortunate passing. We will forever miss him for his dedication to the National Course. Rest in Peace Raphael.”
Video footage posted to X, formerly Twitter, shows Dwamena collapsing on the pitch before players from both teams rushed to his side. He was then attended to by medical personnel as an ambulance was brought onto the pitch.
He was capped nine times for the Black Stars and scored two goals. In 2017, it was discovered he had a heart defect and he suffered numerous heart-related issues. In 2021, he had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator fitted after collapsing in an Austrian Cup match.
