'Stood strong' - Enock Mwepu issues emotional statement after devastating news for Brighton and former Red Bull Salzburg star

The condition, which can worsen over time, would put Enock at an extremely high risk of suffering a potentially fatal cardiac event, if he were to continue playing competitive football.

Mwepu joined Brighton in 2021 from Red Bull Salzburg and made 24 appearances for the club, scoring twice.

The Zambia international midfielder posted on Twitter: “A boy from a small Zambian township called Chambishi has some news to share. He stood strong to follow his dream of playing football at the highest level and by the grace of God he lived his dream by reaching the Premier League.

“Some dreams however come to an end, so it is with sadness I announce the need to hand up my boots because of the medical advice I have received. This is however not the end of my involvement with football, I plan to stay involved in some capacity.

"I would like to thank everyone that supported me in my journey, including my wife and family, my agent 12Man, the Zambian FA, all my previous clubs, teammates and coaches and specially everyone at Brighton and Hove Albion.”

Enock was taken ill while on a flight to join up with Zambia during the international break and after a period in hospital in Mali he returned to Brighton to undergo further cardiac tests and ongoing care.

These tests have concluded that his illness is due to a hereditary cardiac condition, which manifests later in life and was not previously evident on regular cardiac screening. Sadly this can be exacerbated by playing sport so Enock has been advised that the only option, for the sake of his own safety, is for him to stop playing football.

Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said, “We are all absolutely devastated for Enock. He and his family have had a traumatic few weeks and while we are just thankful he has come through that period, he has seen such a promising career cut short at such a young age.

“As a club we will give him all the love, help and support we possibly can to make a full recovery, and then as he decides on the next steps in his life.”