Guinea’s Abdoul Camara forced to retire due to a heart condition
The 28-year-old striker has said that a potentially fatal heart condition has led to him hanging up his boots.
Guinea international Abdoul ‘Razza’ Camara revealed on Wednesday that he was forced to quit football because of a “potentially fatal” heart condition. The 28-year-old forward was due to return to action with French club Guingamp last month after his 2017-18 campaign had been cut short by a knee injury sustained in a Ligue 1 game in December. However, two weeks ago, Guingamp said in statement that the Guinean would no longer play for the team due to medical reasons. “Guingamp is today very sad to announce that its player Razza Camara will no longer wear the shirt of the EAG, for medical reasons following a long process of exams,” the Ligue 1 side stated.
Camara: “We have to move on”
In an interview with French website Footmercato, Camara said he has accepted his playing career is over. "I cannot go on because I'm at risk of cardiac arrest or dying on the pitch like a lot of other players," he said. "We have to move on, even if it's hard to accept. I've been waiting for the news for three weeks. I tried to stay strong just in case. Since I was 13, my life is football. I had struggled to come back after my cruciate ligament injury. And there, you are told that you will never wear a football shirt again. We can say that it is an evil for a good. But I have not yet digested this. You can not digest that fast. I need time. Yes, it's not like an injury where you can fight back. With this I can not do anything. Everything falls apart at that moment."
Camara, who made 105 Ligue 1 appearances for Rennes, Sochaux and Angers before featuring 14 times for Guingamp, said he is now ready to discover other sides of football. "Right now, I want to discover other sides of football. I have former coaches who have spoken to. Former club presidents have called me too," he said. "Maybe I'll go by their side to learn, and one day I'll really know what I want to do."
Youth international with France
The midfielder began his professional career in France, and represented Les Bleus at Under-17, Under-18 and Under-21 level. He opted to play for Guinea, making his senior international debut at the 2012 African Cup of Nations 1-0 defeat to Mali. He featured 16 times for the African nation, scoring four goals.