Egypt international Refaat dies four months after heart attack

Egyptian international Ahmed Refaat died on Saturday at the age of 31 of complications following a heart attack he suffered four months ago during a match, his club Modern Future FC announced.

The winger, who played seven times for the national side, suffered cardiac arrest on March 11 during a league match against Al-Ittihad Alexandria.

He was rushed to hospital, resuscitated and placed in intensive care for almost a month.

He was fitted with a pacemaker and was allowed out of hospital with further medical tests scheduled.

Last month, Refaat said in a television interview that he was feeling better and wanted to return to the pitch. A few days before his death, he visited his club team-mates.

Refaat made his international debut in 2013 in a friendly against Uganda but did not feature again until 2021. He scored two goals for Egypt with the last of his seven appearances coming in a 4-1 defeat by South Korea in June 2022.