Former Ghana international Augustine Arhinful has said that Raphael Dwamena would not have died if he had retired from the sport, as recommended by his doctors.

The former FC Zurich striker died in November 2023 after collapsing during a football match.

It was the second time in two years that Dwamena had collapsed while playing a football match, this time, for good.

Speaking to JoySports at Friday’s burial service for Dwamena, Augustine Arhinful said Dwamena should not have prioritized his faith over professional medical advice.

‘‘It’s not about being a Christian. It is about believing in what someone who in this case is a medical practitioner who has studied and knows exactly what your body needs.’’

‘‘So it has got nothing to do with faith or Christianity for that matter.’’ He said.

While suggesting family pressures may have influenced his decision, Arhinful said Dwamena would have lived if he had retired from the sport, as advised by his doctors.

‘‘I don’t know if it was pressure from the family. He played some years out there so he had his house, some money in the bank so if he had stopped, his life would have continued.’’

‘‘He could have been a coach, if indeed he loves soccer so much, to still be in the game. If he had taken a different decision, he would (have) still been here with us.’’

 Dwamena’s heart condition was first discovered when he failed a medical at Brighton and Hove Albion in August 2017.

Over the next three years, Dwamena the symptoms were detected again while at Real Zaragoza in Spain and at Veije in Denmark.

In January 2020, Dwamena insisted he would play with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Ten months later he was advised to quit football after further tests revealed it would be too risky to continue playing.

In October 2021, Dwamena collapsed on the pitch while playing football. Although he recovered at the hospital, he was advised to quit playing football.

On November 11, 2024, Dwamena collapsed during a league match in Albania and died on arrival at the hospital.