Tragic Passing of Former Ghanaian Forward Raphael Dwamena Following Collapse in Albanian Super League Football Match
The football community mourns the loss of 28-year-old Raphael Dwamena, former Ghanaian striker, who tragically passed away after collapsing during an Albanian Super League soccer match on Saturday.
The Albanian Football Federation officially confirmed Dwamena's untimely death, expressing deep sorrow over the unfortunate incident. Disturbing footage circulated on social media, depicting the player falling alone on the field in the 24th minute of the match between Dwamena's Egnatia and Partizani. Despite immediate medical intervention by fellow players, the federation sorrowfully announced that Dwamena did not survive.
The match, with a scoreline of 1-1, was immediately halted, with no further play.
Dwamena, the leading scorer of the season with nine goals in the Albanian Super League, had a noteworthy international career, making eight appearances for Ghana and scoring twice.
In a statement, the Ghana Football Association expressed its profound sadness: "The Ghana Football Association is sad to hear of the death of our former player Raphael Dwamena and wish to express our deepest condolences to his family at this difficult moment."
While the Albanian federation did not provide specific details about the cause of death, local media reports focused on Dwamena's past heart problems, including an incident in 2021 when he was hospitalized for heart issues during a game with Austria’s Blau-Veis Linz.
Dwamena's football journey took him through various countries, including Spain, Denmark, and Switzerland.
Sylvinho, the Brazilian coach of the Albanian national team, paid tribute on social media, saying, "Rest in peace. Condolences to family and friends."
Spanish clubs Levante and Zaragoza, where Dwamena played in 2018 and 2019-20 respectively, also expressed their grief. Levante shared on social media platform X, "Our thoughts are with his family and his loved ones in these difficult moments. His legacy in our club will last forever." Similarly, Zaragoza conveyed on X, "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."
