Ahmed Refaat

For the Egyptian footballer, born 1942, see Ahmed Rifaat.

Ahmed Refaat
Personal information
Full name Ahmed El Sayed Refaat Ahmed[1][2]
Date of birth (1993-06-20)20 June 1993
Place of birth Ibshan, Bila, Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt
Date of death 6 July 2024(2024-07-06) (aged 31)
Place of death Cairo, Egypt
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[3]
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
ENPPI
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2016 ENPPI 48 (12)
2016–2020 Zamalek 19 (4)
2019 → ENPPI (loan) 13 (2)
2019–2020 → Al Ittihad (loan) 23 (7)
2020–2021 Al Masry 30 (8)
2021–2024 Future / Modern Future 40 (10)
2022–2023 → Al Wahda (loan) 6 (1)
Total 179 (44)
International career
2013 Egypt U20 7 (0)
2013–2022 Egypt 7 (2)
Medal record
Men's association football
Representing  Egypt
U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
Gold medal – first place 2013 Algeria Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ahmed El Sayed Refaat Ahmed (Arabic: أحمد السيد رفعت أحمد; 20 June 1993 – 6 July 2024) was an Egyptian footballer who played mainly as a winger.[4]

He made his debut for ENPPI in 2013, coming from the youth academy, and quickly established a place for himself in the club's starting line-ups. He joined Zamalek in 2016, and won the Egyptian Super Cup during his spell with the club, before joining his former club ENPPI and Al Ittihad on loan. In 2020, he joined Al Masry but depated a year later to join newly-promoted side Future (later renamed Modern Future), guiding the team to win the inaugural Egyptian League Cup trophy in 2022, and to qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup in 2023. He had a loan spell at UAE club Al Wahda in 2022.

Refaat represented Egypt at youth and senior level. He was part of the winning squad of the 2013 African U-20 Championship and played at the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup. He died on the morning of 6 July 2024, aged 31, due to heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest.[5][6]

Club career

Refaat started his career with ENPPI. In 2016, he joined Zamalek but was loaned back to ENPPI and then to Al Ittihad in 2019. In November 2020, he transferred to Al Masry,[7] but a year later, joined Modern Future. He had a loan spell at Al Wahda in 2022, which was abruptly cancelled after a few months. He returned to Future where he played until his death in 2024.

On 11 March 2024, during a league match against Al Ittihad, Refaat lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital.[8] He had suffered a heart attack due to a rare medical condition but regained consciousness a week later.[9][10]

Al Wahda controversy

Following Refaat's death, his brother and his agent claimed that Ahmed Diab, the then-owner of Future and eventual president of the Egyptian Premier League, refused to correctly organize Refaat's travel permits to complete his move to Al Wahda, leading to a row between Refaat and Egyptian government officials, who argued Refaat had not been given the requisite permission to travel as he had not yet completed military service.[11] Upon returning to Egypt, Refaat was imprisoned for two months at a military barracks, but was able to train with military-backed club Tala'ea El Gaish.[12]

Diab denied refusing to authorise Refaat's travel documents, stating Refaat had clearance to travel to Liberia to play a friendly with Future before moving to the UAE, while government officials reiterated the permits for players departing Egypt who had not yet completed military service is organised by their clubs.[13] Refaat's legal representatives suggested his unexpected departure from Ghana (as a transit country) instead of Liberia into the UAE meant he was not permitted to travel, while the documents did not cover the length of his loan move.[14] He returned to Egypt by January 2023, after featuring a handful of times for Al Wahda.[15]

Death

Refaat died of a heart attack in Cairo, on 6 July 2024, at the age of 31.[16]

Career statistics

Scores and results list Egypt's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Refaat goal.
List of international goals scored by Ahmed Refaat
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 4 December 2021 Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar  Sudan 1–0 5–0 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
2 11 December 2021 Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar  Jordan 2–1 3–1 (a.e.t.)

Honours

Zamalek

Future

Egypt U20

References

  1. ^ "Egypt preliminary squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations" (PDF). CAF/EFA. 7 January 2022. p. 2. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  2. ^ "FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021: List of players: Egypt" (PDF). FIFA. 4 December 2021. p. 3. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Ahmed Refaat". UAE Pro League. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  4. ^ "365 player profile: Ahmed Refaat". www.365scores.com. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Egyptian footballer Ahmed Refaat dies aged 31". Al Ahram Online. 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  6. ^ "مدير مركز القلب يكشف سبب وفاة أحمد رفعت رغم تحسن حالته" [Director of the Heart Center reveals the cause of Ahmed Refaat’s death despite his improved condition]. FilGoal (in Arabic). 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  7. ^ "OFFICIAL: Al Masry sign Zamalek winger". kingfut.com. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Mohamed Salah's former team-mate Ahmed Refaat suffers on-pitch heart attack and stops breathing 'for more than an hour' as Egyptian Premier League game is suspended due to shocking incident". Goal.com. 12 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Ahmed Refaat suffering from rare medical condition: Doctor". Egypt Independent. 19 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Ahmed Refaat reaches 'very promising' stage as he gains partial consciousness". Kingfut. 20 March 2024.
  11. ^ Hughes, Simon (31 July 2024). "The tragedy of Ahmed Refaat – and the questions that remain over his death". The Athletic. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  12. ^ Hughes, Simon (31 July 2024). "The tragedy of Ahmed Refaat – and the questions that remain over his death". The Athletic. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  13. ^ Hughes, Simon (31 July 2024). "The tragedy of Ahmed Refaat – and the questions that remain over his death". The Athletic. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  14. ^ Hughes, Simon (31 July 2024). "The tragedy of Ahmed Refaat – and the questions that remain over his death". The Athletic. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  15. ^ Hughes, Simon (31 July 2024). "The tragedy of Ahmed Refaat – and the questions that remain over his death". The Athletic. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  16. ^ Kamal, Karim (6 July 2024). "وفاة أحمد رفعت لاعب مودرن سبورت" [The death of Ahmed Refaat, Modern Sports player]. Al-Masry Al-Youm. Retrieved 6 July 2024.