Raphael Dwamena in stable condition after collapsing during Austrian Cup match
Raphael Dwamena (Blau Weiss Linz) receiving medical care | © Harald Dostal / 2021
An Austrian Cup game between lower-tier Blau-Weiß Linz and TSV Hartberg was abandoned Wednesday evening following a medical emergency involving Ghana’s Raphael Dwamena.
The 26-year-old striker, who was only making his fourth appearance this season for Linz, collapsed on the sidelines about 20 minutes into the home game at Hofmann Personal Stadion.
No information is yet available about the exact cause of the collapse. However, from multiple reports, Dwamena suddenly grabbed his chest during the game and later collapsed while screaming near the substitutes’ bench.
Dwamena’s teammates lined up around him and formed a screen to protect him from the gaze of fans and photographers – similar to Danish star Christian Eriksen’s collapse during the Euro 2020.
Dwamena has been playing with a built-in defibrillator since 2020 due to known heart problems.
“His defibrillator hit and the doctors were able to stabilize him quickly,” the blue-white manager Stefan Reiter told APA news agency.
Dwamena was conscious when she was transported to the hospital, and further tests are currently being carried out. “Raphael’s condition is stable.”
According to the manager, the rescue team “worked extremely well”. “It didn’t take a second for the paramedics to be on their way to him.”
Referee Andreas Heiss had interrupted the game for a short time when the score was 0-0, before the game was canceled with the consent of both teams.
Reiter expressed gratitude and appreciation to the opponent. Hartberg’s club spokesman said: “It was immediately clear to us that we would not continue playing today.”
Dwamen’a heart challenges – cardiac arrhythmia – first came up in 2017 when Premier League side Brighton passed up the opportunity to sign him after noticing the problem during a medical.
Instead, he later moved to Levante in Spain, where he had to interrupt his career after a few months because of heart problems. Through the Danish club Vejle Boldklub, Dwamena, who previously trained at Red Bull Salzburg, finally landed back in Austria in the summer of 2021 and signed with Blau-Weiß Linz.
