LoftforWords would like to take this opportunity to wish the very best to Fabrice Muamba and his family after the Bolton Wanderers player collapsed on the field at Tottenham this evening.
Muamba, who scored one of Bolton’s four goals at Loftus Road in August, collapsed in the middle of the field at White Hart Lane five minutes before half time of tonight’s FA Cup quarter final with no other player around him. Play was immediately stopped and Muamba was given CPR and electric shocks to try and resuscitate him in front of a stunned, silent and clearly distressed crowd and group of players.
Referee Howard Webb took both teams off the field ten minutes later and the match was abandoned soon after. Muamba was taken to the intensive care unit at the London Chest Hospital in Bethnal Green where his condition has been reported as “critically ill”.
On a day when footballing concerns and rivalries pale into insignificance LFW extends our thoughts and prayers to Muamba, his family, his team mates, Bolton Wanderers and the club’s supporters at a difficult time. Tragedy has struck our own club twice in recent times and it’s one of the few occasions that our sport really does rally round together and do itself proud.
Credit also to the lightning fast reactions of the White Hart Lane medical staff, the superb and respectful reaction from both sets of supporters, the sensitive coverage by ESPN host Rebecca Lowe along with John Barnes and Kevin Keegan and most of all to the doctors who have been working on Muamba and will continue to do so.
Please God let the lad pull through this.
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Pictures – Action Images