Muamba ‘dead for 78 mins’

Bolton have confirmed theirscheduled Premier Leaguemeeting with Blackburn on Saturday will go ahead, as it was revealed Fabrice Muamba was “effectively dead” for 78 minutes following his cardiac arrest at Tottenham on Saturday.

With Muamba making quicker progress than anyone could have expected following the dramatic events at White Hart Lane, manager Owen Coyle spoke with his players yesterday to see if they wanted to face Blackburn at the weekend.

The answer was positive, while Bolton will also head back to Tottenham on Tuesday to play the rearranged FA Cup quarter-final that had to be abandoned by referee Howard Webb after Muamba’s collapse.