Sport
Update: No change in Fabrice Muamba’s condition
“Usually in these cases the reason for this happening is something to do with a heart muscle problem or there is a weakness in the heart muscle,” he said. “It could also be a primary arrhythmia disorder, that is where there is an irregularity in the heart of the ionic channels.”
Clive Clarke collapsed because of a cardiac arrest at halftime of a 2007 match while playing for Leicester at Nottingham Forest. He fully recovered, although he never played again.
“They know it was a cardiac arrest but don’t know exactly what brought it on,” Clarke told the BBC. “I have now got an internal defibrillator that was fitted while I was at hospital, which hopefully prevents my heart stopping again.”
Bolton experienced a similar medical trauma in 2004 when retired Senegal striker Khalilou Fadiga collapsed on the pitch before a League Cup game, also against Tottenham. He returned to training 11 days after undergoing surgery to treat a heart problem that required an automatic defibrillator to be implanted, and later returned to action.
Bolton chairman Phil Gartside urged fans around the world “to keep Fabrice in their prayers” in the hope of a similar recovery.
On Sunday, fans left flowers, Muamba shirts and scarves at Bolton’s Reebok stadium, while there were public displays of support in grounds across Europe.
Former Bolton defender Gary Cahill celebrated scoring his first Chelsea goal in an FA Cup match against Leicester by unveiling a “Pray 4 Muamba” T-shirt. In the Spanish capital, Real Madrid players donned “Get well soon Muamba” tops before kickoff against Malaga.
