Mike Mutyaba retires again due to heart problem

Without diagnosis and treatment, certain heart problems can be life-threatening.

This is one of the reasons why KCCA FC forward Sulaiman Mutyaba decided to retire from the game for the second time despite the fact he had given himself more seasons of playing time.

"It has been a hard decision to stand down from the beautiful game of football for the second time. Unlike the first time which was a groin injury, but this time is a heart problem," stated Mutyaba in an exclusive interview with New Vision.

Mutyaba who changed his name from Mike to Sulaiman after becoming a Muslim revealed that the heart problem started when he lost his elder brother Tony Mukiibi in February.

"I started feeling bad when I lost my elder brother who was like daddy and mummy to our family. Mukiibi was the foster father at our home because we lost our parents when we were still young and took care of us as a family.

When I received a call that Mukiibi had been involved in an accident, I was from training at Lugogo but within a second, I received another call with sad news that he had passed on. In fact, I ended up getting high blood pressure," he added.

The 29-year-old revealed that he discovered that he had heart failure when had gone for training with the national team (Cranes) in preparation for the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) that had been scheduled for April in Cameroon but was later postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

''When I was summoned for the Cranes camp in preparation for CHAN I was not feeling well and I was taken for a checkup where the doctor told me that I am not going back and I was admitted to the ICU unit. The doctor then told me that I could no longer play football because I have a heart problem and that I need to go for an operation.

In fact, he told me that if I had stepped on the pitch the next day, I would have died. At the moment I have a pace-setter to regulate the rhythm of my heart. This is the reason that pushed me to retire from the game of football although I would have loved to play for more seasons," noted Mutyaba.

When asked for his comparison between KCCA and league champions Vipers, both of whom he played for during his career, he had this to say;

"Those who have followed me for some good years know well that Vipers is my home. That's where I started my career. First and foremost, the club president Lawrence Mulindwa is like a daddy to me. But when you ask me between KCCA and Vipers which team makes me comfortable? I will go with KCCA because of its structures and secondly as a team, it gives job security," he noted.

Former Bunamwaya FC (now Vipers) player Edward Ssali is another player that that was forced to retire in 2011 due to heart problems.

Everyone's career has good and bad moments and that includes challenges, but according to Mutyaba, one of the best moments of his career is the day he sealed the deal to join Sudan's to Al-Merrikh.

His worst moment he says was playing for giants TP Mazembe of DR Congo.

Mutyaba added that during his playing time, no opponent gave him hard time and that defenders such as Saaka Mpiima and Siraje Turyamureba failed to be the better of him.

Despite having gone through coaching courses, the former Express FC player is not ready to take up any coaching role but says he would rather be incorporated in football administration and that KCCA is willing to offer him an opportunity.