Bolton Wanderers say their midfielder Fabrice Muamba is critically ill in hospital after collapsing during his side’s FA Cup quarterfinal with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The 23-year-old fell to the ground four minutes from half-time in the match and after 10 minutes of treatment on the pitch, was rushed to hospital.
“Bolton Wanderers can confirm that Fabrice Muamba has been admitted to the Heart Attack Centre at the London Chest Hospital where he is currently in a critically ill condition in intensive care,” Bolton said in a statement.
“No further information will be issued at this stage. The club has requested the media to respect his family’s privacy at this time.”
Referee Howard Webb made the decision to abandon the match, which was level at 1-1 at the time.
According to ESPN , who were televising the game in the U.K., former England under-21 international Muamba was not breathing when he was taken down the tunnel.
BBC Radio 5 Live commentator Ian Dennis said Muamba was “fighting for his life”.
“You could see medical staff using a defibrillator and he was electronically charged on at least two occasions,” Dennis said.
“Everybody could see Fabrice Muamba was fighting for his life on the pitch.” Messages of support immediately began to pour in from players.
“Terrible what happened with Muamba during the game. We’re all praying for him,” Tottenham’s Rafael van der Vaart said.
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney tweeted: “Hope Fabrice Muamba is OK. Praying for him and his family. Still in shock.
