Former Denmark international Rikke Sevecke has called for stronger monitoring of heart health in women’s football after being forced to end her playing career.
Sevecke, who joined Portland Thorns from Everton last year, was capped 54 times by Denmark before announcing her retirement last month.
The central defender participated in last year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand but never played for NWSL side Portland Thorns, whom she joined in September after three years at Everton.
The 27-year-old has now published an open letter on FIFPRO the organisation representing 65,000.
Former Denmark international Rikke Sevecke has called for stronger monitoring of heart health in women’s football after being forced to end her playing career. Sevecke, who joined Portland Thorns from Everton last year, was capped 54 times by Denmark before announcing her retirement last month. "The doctor told me I had to quit football straight away," Sevecke explained when recalling the confirmation."By this stage, I was playing for Portland Thorns and there were only four games left in the NWSL campaign. I asked if I could at least finish the U.S. season, but I was told I had to retire there and then."It’s scary to think that if I hadn’t decided to go to another club in the summer, and thus hadn’t done a stress ECG, my heart condition wouldn’t have been diagnosed and it could have been detected when something much worse had happened."Story below