By Gill Bikram Singh 
Ben Dumingan: A teenage footballer from Cork City in the Munster state of Ireland has announced his retirement after suffering from heart disease. 16-year-old Ben Dumingan was due to join Bundesliga club Hoffenheim at the end of January. When he was medically examined, he was found to be suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). This disease causes abnormal thickening of a part of the heart muscle, due to which the heart starts beating slower or faster.
However, doctors say that Ben is capable of living a long and healthy life. Ben has been a good defender. According to Ben, he never thought of announcing his retirement from football at such a young age. This is a shock for him, the last few weeks have been very challenging for him. Even though I will never be able to play football again, I have survived this deadly disease and I am very grateful for that.
I am overwhelmed by the support the fans have given me and I would like to thank Hoffenheim, CAA Base as well as my school club Middleton FC. I would like to thank everyone for their support. I would also like to thank my friends and family for their love and support.
Ben impressed everyone with his performance
Let us tell you that Dumigan joined Cork City U14s from his schoolboy club Midleton ahead of the 2023 season. He was given a team squad number ahead of the 2025 season and got a chance to play in Ireland U15s, U16s and U17s. Sports Academy Head Liam Kearney said that Ben’s talent as a footballer was astonishing. He was on the verge of moving to Hoffenheim Club. Ben is now forced to give up his sports career, our condolences are with him. We will continue to be with him in the future as well.