Bolton lose heart

Anguished Trotters may quit FA Cup over striken Muamba

Bolton may quit this season’s FA Cup as they struggle to deal with the shock of Fabrice Muamba’s cardiac arrest during the match against Tottenham Hotspur. The Bolton midfielder is in a stable but critical condition as he fights for his life at the London Chest Hospital...

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LONDON: Bolton will hold talks with the Football Association (FA) in the next 24 hours before deciding whether to quit this season’s FA Cup.

The club could feel it is too much to ask players to return to White Hart Lane so soon after witnessing Fabrice Muamba’s harrowing fight for life.

Saturday’s quarter-final with Tottenham was abandoned after the midfielder’s collapse and a rematch would usually be played next Tuesday or Wednesday.

The entire club and especially the playing staff have been badly affected after Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest.

Some players have already talked privately about not wanting to go back so quickly to the north London ground.

But senior figures at the Reebok see it as an opportunity to win the tie for Muamba – and will gauge feelings before making a decision. The match was called off after medical teams worked to resuscitate the player on the pitch. He was then taken to London Chest Hospital. Bolton’s game at Aston Villa today has been postponed.

Boss Owen Coyle said: “The players wouldn’t be in any fit state to play. Football pales into insignificance at this time.”

Muamba remained in critical condition in hospital on Sunday.

— Reuters Real concern: Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo wearing a shirt in support of Fabrice Muamba before the La Liga match against Malaga at the Bernabeu on Sunday. The match ended 1-1 giving Barcelona a glint of hope as the gap at the top was reduced to...

— EPA Great pal: Chelsea’s Gary Cahill showing his message ‘Pray 4 Muamba’ after scoring against Leicester in the FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday.