Muamba speaks
Bolton star recognises family and responds to questioning
LONDON: Stricken footballer Fabrice Muamba woke up on Monday – and managed to talk.
Bolton ace Fabrice, who had a cardiac arrest in Saturday’s FA Cup match at Spurs, opened his eyes and spoke to fiancée Shauna Muganda as she sat at his hospital bedside.
His club on Monday said Fabrice could recognise family members and was now breathing without a ventilator.
A medical source said: “He has done extremely well considering how ill he was. But he is certainly not out of the woods.
“It is a small step on a very long road to recovery and no one can say what will happen.”
Fabrice’s friend Curtis Codrington confirmed the midfielder had spoken “minimal words in English and French, which is better than nothing”. He tweeted on Monday: “I’m so happy. This is so great.”
Players and fans have been praying for Fabrice, 23, since he collapsed during the match, which was live on TV. He had no heartbeat for seven minutes – and doctors fought for two hours to get his heart pumping on its own.
A joint statement by Bolton and the London Chest Hospital said: “Fabrice is continuing to show signs of improvement.
“He is able to breathe independently without the aid of a ventilator. He has also been able to recognise family members and respond to questions appropriately.”
Relieved Shauna — the 27-yearold mum of Muamba’s son Joshua, three— wrote on Twitter: “Everyone out there, thank you so much for all the love and support. All your prayers are working. Every prayer makes him stronger. As a family, we appreciate it. Fabrice WILL pull through.”
Chelsea defender Ashley Cole, QPR winger Wright-phillips, and Muamba’s best friend and Arsenal defender Johan Djourou went to the hospital after training on Monday afternoon.
Bolton manager Owen Coyle said earlier on Monday that Muamba, who has played 33 matches for England’s Under-21 team, had been putting up a “brave fight”.
“There is a real hope he can come through this. When situations like this occur there is a real strength, a real unity, a real togetherness ... that has given (the family) an incredible energy,” Coyle said outside the east London hospital. “That source of energy that everyone is giving off is really bringing them together as a family, and that is important for Fabrice’s well-being.”
Muamba, a former Arsenal and Birmingham player, fled to England with his family in 1999 to escape the civil war in Congo.
“When you look what he has come through in his life, already he is a natural fighter. He is a physically fit young man,” Coyle said. “If those things can help at all, it will be a source of help and encouragement.”
FIFA president Sepp Blatter wrote to Bolton chairman Phil Gartside on Monday to wish Muamba “strength as he continues to fight to recover.”
“Moments like these show us what is truly important in life and also illustrate the great solidarity that exists between football fans in times of trouble,” Blatter wrote. “The football family’s thoughts and prayers are with Fabrice’s family, club and loved ones at this difficult time.”