FIFA
president Sepp Blatter said the recovery of Bolton Wanderers player
Fabrice Muamba was “a miracle” which had deeply affected him as it
brought back memories of Marc-Vivien Foe of Cameroon who died in similar
circumstances in 2003.
Muamba, 23, collapsed following a heart attack during
the first half of an FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur at White
Hart Lane on Saturday and recovered after his heart stopped beating for
78 minutes.
Foe, who was 28, collapsed and died on the pitch
playing for Cameroon against Colombia in Lyon, France, in a
Confederations Cup match in 2003. The two players both collapsed without
warning and with no other players near them.
Blatter, speaking during a break while attending the
UEFA Congress in Istanbul, told a group of reporters: “It’s a miracle. I
had a phone call from Phil Gartside, the chairman of Bolton, and I have
to say it was a very emotional call. As he said, from time to time
there are forces somewhere that have nothing to do with reality.
“He spoke about the players who stood all around him. He was very
emotional, and I was emotional as well because I told him the story of
how I brought Foe back to Cameroon, his homeland, how I accompanied him
until his funeral.”
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