Fabrice Muamba Retires From Football Following Cardiac Arrest, Bolton Wanderers Comment
Due to poor health conditions, Fabrice Muamba recently announced his decision to retire from professional football.
The 24-year-old who belonged to the Premier League club Boldon Wanderers decided to call it quits after undergoing a near death experience suffering cardiac arrest in an FA Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in March. Muamba collapsed on the pitch and immediately needed care.
Despite his heart stopping for 78 minutes, he was able to recover, but after receiving medical advice from leading cardiologists in Belgium last week, he made the decision to end his career in professional football.
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"The news I received was obviously not what I had hoped it would be and it means I am now announcing my retirement from professional football," said Muamba on the Bolton website.
"Since suffering my heart attack and being discharged from hospital, I have remained utterly positive in the belief I could one day resume my playing career and play for Bolton Wanderers once again," he continued. "Football has been my life since I was a teenage boy and it has given me so many opportunities."
Other people close to the situation, including his manger, Owen Coyle, understood that this was a necessary decision for Muamba to make.
"We know that he will go on to achieve great things and within all this disappointment, the most important thing is that he is here, alive, today," said Coyle to CBS.
Muamba played as a midfielder for the Bolton Wanderers and his loss will certainly be felt by his club, according to Bolton chairman Phil Gartside.
"To have Fabrice here and with us is truly amazing and we are all very thankful for that," said Gartside to AFP. "We are hugely disappointed that Fabrice will be unable to return to his playing career but we have to be guided by the medical recommendations and the best interests of Fabrice."
