Ghanaian footballer dies following on-pitch collapse

Ghana striker Raphael Dwamena has died at age 28 after collapsing on the pitch during a league match in Albania.

Dwamena was playing for Egnatia against Partizani on Saturday.

“Despite the immediate intervention of specialist doctors, he unfortunately passed away,” said the Albanian Football Federation (AFL).

Dwamena was the leading scorer in the Albanian league this season with nine goals. He had won nine caps and scored two goals for his country.

Saturday’s match was abandoned, and the federation has postponed all games scheduled in Albania this week.

“The AFL expresses its deepest condolences to the Dwamena family and the Egnatia club for this great loss that has shocked the entire Albanian football community,” the federation added.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) said it sent “our deepest condolences to his family at this difficult moment”.

“He served his country well and showed class any time he represented Ghana,” GFA president Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku said in a statement.

In 2017 a proposed £14m move to Brighton fell through after Dwamena failed a medical. He went on to represent Levante in La Liga and also played for Real Zaragoza on loan.

In 2021 he collapsed during a cup match in Austria between his side Blau-Weiss Linz and Hartberg, but recovered and continued his playing career.

He reportedly had a heart operation and had an automatic defibrillator implanted.

“Our thoughts are with his family and his loved ones in these difficult moments. His legacy in our club will last forever,” Levante said on social media.

Zaragoza also paid tribute, saying: “We are devastated by the sad news of the passing of our former player Raphael Dwamena. You will always be in the memory of Zaragoza´s fans. Rest in peace.”

BBC Sport