Fabrice Muamba, the 23 year old England U-21 international, who collapsed on Saturday during the match (abandoned) between Tottenham and Bolton, is still in critical condition after suffering from cardiac arrest while playing, collapsing on the pitch and treated before taken to a hospital and London.

The London Chest hospital released a statement regarding Muamba’s condition –

Fabrice Muamba remains in a critical condition. Fabrice was admitted to the hospital yesterday evening after collapsing at White Hart Lane, where he sustained a cardiac arrest. Fabrice received prolonged resuscitation at the ground and on route to The London Chest Hospital, where his heart eventually started working. As is normal medical practice, Fabrice remains anaesthetised in intensive care and will be for at least 24 hours. His condition continues to be closely monitored by the cardiac specialists at the hospital.

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For many, especially among Bolton players and fans, it was a reminder of the Gary Speed tragedy from a few months ago. Although not a on-pitch tragedy like Muamba, Speed’s death has not escaped the memories of fans across the UK, especially with teams that he played for. Hopefully, Muamba will see these difficult times through and won’t be the next case of a on-pitch tragedy and death.

Owen Coyle, Bolton manager – The next 24 hours are going to be absolutely crucial. We’ve obviously been inundated with people wishing him well and we hope that if everybody can pray strongly tonight that Fabrice is able to recover. It’s very serious. There’s no getting away from that. He’s critically ill and God willing he makes it through.

Fabrice’s family have asked me to pass on their thanks for the many, many kind messages of support from not only Bolton fans but also fans from clubs across the country and abroad. All our thoughts and prayers are for Fabrice and his family. The family would also like to thank the media for respecting their privacy at this time.