Pray For Muamba

I have a horrible feeling they're making sure all Fabrice's family know what's going on before breaking any news. I sure as hell hope I'm wrong.

Indeed BB. Come on Fabrice.

in complete shock how can this happen to such a strong young man...... rocky7 - i really hope your wrong too mate but.... :( praying for muamba and his family right now......

Full respect to ALL of the fans in the stadium for their reaction to a distressing situation. Definitely earned my respect today. Any more news on the lads condition?

The family notifications etc, yeah I know......not good. The lad wasn't breathing for well over 15 minutes while he was on the pitch and being carried off. If CPR doesn't work within that time frame then I'm afraid it is very unlikely that someone would survive let alone unscathed. Of course I hope I'm 100% wrong.

Hospital statement says he's now in a stable condition. Thank god, thank ******** god. Massive credit to Bolton, Tottenham and the Paramedics. You're heroes.

Just hope there's no lasting damage *fingers crossed*

Gunnerfan1987 -respect my friend

This can be used in a positive way from now on, so that whatever caused it (X) from now on every Mar 17 should be a X Awareness day in honour of Muamba

Gunnerfan1987 - That's cringeworthy fella...

Was just numb and sick to my stomach when this happened. Was following the match on yahoo when I was out. Just couldn't believe what was unfolding After waiting and waiting anxiously for news, I was so relieved to hear that Fabrice had been stabilized in hospital and like everyone I hope and pray with all my might, that this young lad pulls through. Must have been a terrible thing to have witnessed. All credit to everyone at the match - the Bolton and Spurs medics, Howard Webb, the cardiologist who came out of the crowd and everyone who acted so promptly to resuscitate Fabrice and. give him a fighting chance. Well done to all the fans for their respectful reaction and understanding of the whole, frightening situation. Tonight, all my thoughts and prayers are with Fabrice and his family, Bolton Wanderers FC and all the players, fans and staff who were profoundly affected. Please, please, please get better.

He`s ok guys we can go back to winding eachother up .But remeber sometimes we must stand as one

Critically ill but stable. Hope you make it through Fabrice. Im sure you will. PS : It was heart warming to watch the entire footballing world united. From players to fans, all came together in support of Fabrice.

Didn't watch the game. Couldn't because I had to go to the countryside for a demanding ceremony. This goes to wish the player speedy recovery. Also hope his family, team mates, fans and both sets of fans, receive strength to recover from the experience. From the posts, the medics must have done a terrific job as we have seen this happen in the past with the player usually pronounced gone, even on the pitch. This happens in 'another' country and it is goodbye to the player. So, a Big Up to the medical staff in the stadium and the hospital for bringing him to a point of being in "stable condition".

I kind of have to agree with Julie here (I know, I can't believe it either) according to reports they administered CPR for 16 minutes, which ever way you cut it that's a long time and usually you wouldn't be expected to live. Put it this way if one of your friends from your band collapsed on stage and effectively died, would you want to finish your set (ignoring the obvious problem of not being able to subsitute a band memeber). It's easy for a fan to distance themselves from the event, but those guys in the blacks shirts at the very least had just watched their friend fighting for his life on the pitch. If Cesc and co had trouble dealing with playing a game of football after their mate broke his leg, how are players going to perform thinking their mate had lost his life. I also understand Niko's sentiment that what happened to Fabrice could/might be very tragic there are millions of people around the world suffering worse fates on a daily basis, and that's true, but this is a football network for football fans to express thier opinions and discuss the game we love, it makes sense that people would react this way. But to start offering sympathy to children who don't have access to clean water on a football network would be just odd.

I'm just interested in the grey area between what constitutes a match being abandoned and one carrying on, near death is a cancellation, a limb hanging off in your sock, good to go. Does complete loss of limb constitute abandonment? people get rushed all the time to hozzy with head injuries which could quite easily prove to be fatal yet the show goes on. As I already stated I wish the lad nothing but the best and a full recovery, but it is a cold world and although I am sympathetic I'm not going to go overboard and get on the phone to Elton as some of the posts seem to be going pretty overboard in the hysteria dept, not just here in the footy world in general, I don't know the bloke and for all I know the attack was brought on by a night on the charlie whilst roasting hookers, I don't know, noone does. If he did pop off it was doing something he truly loved which is exactly the way I'd want it. If the gig was in front of 36,000 people and my boys had 3 other drummers waiting in the wings I'd go feckin mental if I'd found out they'd pulled it! :) I played a gig on the day of my old mans funeral who copped it of a ticker failure and that was only in front of 4k people. Show always goes on.

Actually what happenend? did he get a Heart attack?

What is the latest news on the young man? Anyone with an update?

Quite shocked to hear this, hope Muamba recovers well.

I have a lot of sympathy with Niko's viewpoint here. It does all get a bit hysterical. I was watching the game and very moved to see the incident unfold- just as any stark reminder of the fragility of life affects a human. But these things are starting to turn into a grief competition reminiscent of Diana. It's very pronounced online too. I don't have a TV which means I live by the internet, but I just had to shutdown on Saturday night as people were instructing others at exactly how they should grieve. I saw someone attacked en masse for tweeting about the Barcelona game, some 2 hours after Muamba had collapsed because it was deemed inappropriate. It's insane. Thousands of people instruct me to "Pray for Muamba." I had what I deemed to be a private conversation with a friend on twitter that I resented being instructed to execute a religious act when I am an atheist. That's to say I didn't tweet it generally. Immediately it was seized upon and I was told not to bring religion into it. Brilliant, told you have to implore a deity for help (rather than the nurses and doctors who are actually charged with saving this young man's life) and when you politely decline but offer thoughts and compassion instead, you're the one bringing religion into it! It's a kind of mawkish bullying I find very odd. I wish the boy all the best and his family, really I do. But now I think it's best left to the fine medical folk and his family to deal with. The disctinction I'd make with this being called off though is that a badly broken leg is an undesirable occupational hazard of being a sportsman. This really isn't and, at the time, for all anyone knew he was about to die. I think there's a degree there that brings it one step beyond a badly broken leg.

Aye I think that's fair enough, expressing concern at the ongoing situation. I definitely want to know of any developments because, on a human level, even if through a TV lens, I was a witness to this in some small way and very much want the boy to recover. I guess my other is a separate grievance and indicative of the bullying religion often indulges. It's ok to say "pray for Muamba" but when you object (particularly on the grounds that the nurses and doctors are going to be more instrumental in helping the lad than any deity- real or imagined), you're told that this is an insensitive time to bring it up. It's a catch 22 I really, very strongly resent in the world today. But anyway, I suppose there is a point here in living and allowing to live. Whilst I've thought some people to be hysterical, I've certainly not interjected and told them "you're being hysterical" for the reasons you point out, probably not my place to confront.

Yeah that does put it succinctly LD, and Rocky has put an equally eloquent side in an article that I do fully endorse - not just just the lad was an erstwhile gunner - and if anyone thinks I was inappropriate then fair enough & I do fully understand why. @ Tim I'll be in the tollie for a few swifties next saturday if you're in the vicinity?

Great news! Just heard it myself. No jinx here but who's to say it isn't all the praying that has been elicited that has sustained him?

Ok I'm going to leave this thread now as if I say what I want to say then I'm going to get burnt at the stake by the superstitious brigade, laters! x

Niko, one of the attraction to such a site is the fact that people are free to share their views on the topic at hand and even beyond. Far be it from me to dictate what is said on the site (seeing that I can't do anything to muzzle you or anyone else, anyway). My post about your views being extreme has been taken out of the context intended. I think L.D and Rocky have done well to throw up the underlying emotions about matters of this kind. Well said, guys.

Rocky, who's to say, indeed. Just alluding to the topic of the article which was a clear call to pray.

Without wishing to overly derail the thread, I'm gonna say if the doctors and nurses had applied no treatment and just clasped their hands in prayer, they wouldn't have got very far.

First off, the depth of reaction to this event was due to the fact that people at the stadium were witnessing, suddenly, shockingly, a healthy young footballer dying. His heart was stopped. The players' and fans' reactions tell you how shocking this was for them. People were terrified that he was about to die. My friends and I watching the game live felt that way-were were all holding our breaths wondering if we were all witnessing a shocking, sudden death, ffs! That said, the imposition of religious phrases & instructing others how to react is definitely authoritarian, inappropriate and arrogant. And completely unnecessary.

Stranger things have happened LD....stranger things have happened.

The whole 'pray for Muamba' thing is a demagogic joke. Superstitious nonsense. I for one sacrificed a goat.

Thats a very balanced perspective Rocky. Hope and pray Muamba recovers fully.

I'm not sure that I'm able to draw a conclusion regarding the benefits of prayer, if there is a creator, then "his" presence, abilities and desires are something way beyond the comprehension of the human mind. One thing is for certain though, that whilst the positive effects of prayer are deabtable, there definately no negatives. Prayer never hurt anybody.

I know some people hold distain towards organised religon citing the millions of people who have been killed in "holy wars" and that religon was the cause of that, but that's hogwash. A collection of ideas and philosophies never killed anyone, it's the greed, need for power and the inability of mankind to accept the possibility that they might be wrong that caused those problems.

I must state that I'm neither religous nor atheist. I can't buy into the stories of organised religon, the idea of the humankind beng a mere 5000 years old has been proved wrong by science. However I do subscribe to the theory of Occum's Razor that suggests that the simpler explination is usually the correct one. There are two beliefs, that there is a creator, and that there is not. Quantum mechanics offers that it is possible for life to be spontaneously created out of nothing, which to me is just as implausible as some phantom creator. What does twist my arm as to my belief of a creator (note I say creator and not all loving god) is that whilst sciences most widely acceptable theory of the big bang (which is another hypothesis I accept) explains the current states of the universe, one thing I do have trouble with understanding is where the physics derived from in order for the big bang to, well, bang. I'm big lover of astronomy and of physics and my belief in a creator is a scientific conclusion rather than of belief or "faith", however being of a scientific conclusion it's also a dynamic belief, open to change the more we learn.

One thing is for sure is that there are "forces" at work that we do not understand, whether they be scientific, of a religous persuasion or maybe of a collective unconsious, but the power of positive thought and emotion is something I do think plays a part in the world, and the collective love and out pouring of good feeling towards Muamba is something that can not be denied and can only be a good thing, and whether this outpouring is a result of a religous belief or basic human empathy it doesn't really matter, but religon is a great source of comfort to many millions of people as it clearly is to Muamba and his young family, and that's something I wouldn't dream of denying him, or anyone else.

I think the "violence" written in the sciptures of way back when was in keeping with the times. The laws and beliefs of that age were just as violent and abhorant, yet the system of civilisation has progressed as have the religous beliefs of the people. It's just that until recently the texts and books remained unaltered.

The biggest positive from this horrible situation, in my humble opinon is that is has restored somewhat my faith in the common football fan. Over the last few years the garbage and bile spilling out of the mouths of football fans have been enough to question my alligence to the sport, not just rival fans either, the ferocity of some of the s*** that some Gooners spout has left me feeling completely disconnected with the game, but this last weekend has offered a glimmer of hope. Just listening to the Liverpool fans sing Muamba's name in their FA Cup match brought a lump to my throat.

Whilst you're 100% correct that the doctors, nurses and medical teams are almost complete responsible for Muamba's recovery, I think the human need to help is the cause of the mass call to prayer. Everyone feels so strongly that they'll do all they can. And because only a very small percentage of people can actually physically help, prayer, positive thought and messages of good will are the only immediate ways we can help, and million have been doing it in their millions, which I think is rather touching.

Indeed, the scriptures are a reflection of what religion is, bronze age mythology. More and more we're pushing it away as a society and saying its teachings, one by one, are abhorrent. Until we're left with a situation where only the smallest segments are being cherry picked and held up as acceptable. Yet somehow it still maintains this stranglehold on society, which I find uncomfortable. Anyway, more to the point of the thread, there is a point that it's brought out the best in football fans. Not sure how much conviction I have that that perspective will last though. I've seen many say the game in unimportant in light of this and it makes me think people will instantly revert to the other extreme of using their teams and the players as some kind of badge to wear for their own significance as a person, which I think explains a lot of the bile and vitriol. People take the events on a football pitch too personally, as if it's all a personal slight against them. Football is important. This situation shows that. It's important to Fabrice Muamba and it's enabled millions of people that have never clapped eyes on the boy to wish him well and unite over this. Sport is one of the few genuine meritocracies on earth that globally eschews creed, class and colour and bases its recruitment solely on talent. That makes it important. It's just not as important as someone's health or life and death. I'd like to think that's self explanatory though and that we wouldn't need a terrible incident like this to tell us that. It should be fun, I certainly find it fun and an absorbing diversion from every day life. I like to think it wouldn't take a young man to collapse on the pitch to remind people of that. I hope this has a long term legacy in that respect. But if Hillsbrough and Gary Speed and countless other disasters haven't done that, I have my doubts. On that note, I thoroughly recommend a piece by Assou Ekotto in yesterday's Standard. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/football/a-horrific-night-but-one-that-has-united-us-all-as-a-football-family-7577583.html