Heart-breaking news emerged from the footballing world on Monday, with Zambian international & Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Enock Mwepu being forced to retire from the game at the age of only 24 after he was diagnosed with a hereditary heart condition.
He was on his way to meet up with his international teammates when he fell ill. After spending some time at a hospital in Mali, subsequent checks at his Premier League club revealed a condition which was previously not clear.
However, a certain former Welsh winger David Rhys George Best Cotterill has stirred up quite a storm following his cryptic comment on an Instagram post announcing the news about Mwepu.
David Cotterill has been known to be very outspoken about his views on the vaccines against Covid-19.
He has been known to spread various conspiracy theories regarding the side effects of vaccines and is an adamant protestor of the same.
The former footballer linked Mwepu’s “hereditary” condition to a probable effect of the vaccines in a thinly veiled comment which read – “So sad. And we all know what the cause is.”
Fans across social media have started criticising & trolling the Welshman for his ignorant words.
He also shares his views related to many social injustices like child trafficking, world hunger abolition, collapsing of the economy and others.
But this particular comment on Enock Mwepu’s announcement has garnered tons of negative attention to him.
David seems unfazed and loving the limelight as suggested by posting an Instagram story of the angry DMs with the caption “How are everyone DMs this morning, is everything alright?”
Given the episode of Christian Eriksen during Euro 2020 and his gradual return to top-tier football at Manchester United, fans would hope for more of the same with Mwepu with modern medicine making a mark.
But his now apparent state puts him at an extremely high risk of facing a potentially life-threatening cardiac event if he continues playing the beautiful game.
Sympathies, prayers and thoughts are with the young midfielder as he released a statement thanking all the support he received and also mentioned, “However, this is not the end of my involvement in football, I plan to stay engaged in some capacity.”
This glimmer of hope overshadows the likes of David Cotterill and his fear of needles.
Insensitive? Utterly ignorant? Misinformation? – Cotterill’s conspiracy theories and comments can be described as much more.
One look at his social media accounts shows that the current Newtown player is determined to continue his “fight” against vaccination.
As a footballer, he is expected to be far more understanding rather than being labelled as “this week’s episode of David Cotterill has gone mental” by fans across the world.
Independent opinions are respected, but they need to come at the right time, backed up by credible information and not just blowing smoke.
Thick Accent sympathises and wishes all the very best for Enock Mwepu, his family and his future endeavours in football, no matter the capacity they may be at.
His loss is a massive blow for the footballing world but as he said “Some dreams however come to an end…”
