The cardiologist who treated Raphael Dwamena has spoken out after the Ghana striker’s death.
Dwamena lost his life at the age of 28 on Saturday after collapsing during Egnatia’s game against Partizani in the Albanian top flight.
Dwamena, who won nine caps for his country, was the Albanian league’s top scorer this season and previously played in LaLiga for Levante and Zaragoza.
During his time in Spain, he collapsed after earlier being diagnosed with a heart condition.
That prompted him to be fitted with an implanted defibrillator by Dr. Antonio Asso, who compelled the player to retire to preserve his health.
Dwamena continued his career despite collapsing again in 2021 while playing in Austria, which led to the defibrillator saving his life. However, there are unconfirmed reports that he had the defibrillator removed before his death.
Dr. Asso has written an open letter regarding the tragic incident in the Spanish newspaper Heraldo.
“We managed to convince him of the urgent need to implant a defibrillator to at least guarantee his life, at the same time as we advised against playing professional sports,” he wrote.
“He placed all his trust in us, and after implanting the defibrillator he left Spain. Sometimes he would ask me for specific advice, which I would gladly respond to.
“I was determined to follow his professional career above all else and I ended up losing hope of influencing him.
“He died as a result of a respectable personal decision, but if the defibrillator had not been removed, Raphael would still be alive.”
