Fabrice Muamba collapse leaves players stunned

The Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba is reported to be in a stable condition at The London Chest Hospital.

He collapsed shortly before half time during the FA Cup quarter final with Tottenham Hotspurs at Whitehart Lane. No other player was involved in the incident.

Medics from both teams treated Muamba on the pitch almost immediately, witnesses say they saw that he was given CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

After a few minutes the decision was taken to remove him from the pitch and then the game was abandoned.

Many players and fans from both teams were visibly shaken.

Fans spoke of an eerie silence that had descended over the ground when it was clear the situation was serious.

“The player went down with no-one near him. He just collapsed,” said Tottenham fan Paul Bowman, 53, from London Colney, Hertfordshire.

Mr Bowman, who was at the match with his three children, said: “The other players saw immediately that this looked bad. We could see they were trying to resuscitate him. Everyone was in shock. We all watched and waited.

“All the support staff and substitutes were on the pitch. Fans from both teams were chanting Muamba’s name.”

Mr Bowman said that abandoning the match was the only option.

He went on: “The players were in shock. No-one wanted it to go on.

“It was eerie coming out of the ground. No-one was saying anything. There was hush, a silence. No-one could quite believe it. It was terrible.”

In a statement the FA said that their thoughts and prayers were with him. FA Chairman David Bernstein said: “On behalf of The FA, I would like to send our thoughts and prayers to Fabrice Muamba and his family this evening.

“Fabrice has played 33 times for England Under-21s, captaining Stuart Pearce’s side during this time and is a player, and more importantly, a person we care greatly for.

“We are in contact with Bolton Wanderers over Fabrice’s condition and are awaiting updates.”