British football fans were shocked earlier this month when Bolton Wanderers player Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch during a match against Tottenham Hotspur on 17 March. The 23-year-old player had suffered a massive cardiac arrest and, incredibly, his heart stopped for 78 minutes as emergency medical teams struggled to stabilise his condition.
While much of the country was in shock, football fans of all teams united in support for the critically ill player, with many supporters from rival teams sending ‘get well’ messages, flowers, gifts and other symbols of their hope for his recovery. Social networks quickly filled up with messages expressing disbelief, but also offering support, with the Twitter hashtags #Pray4Muamba and #PrayForMuamba gaining enormous momentum as fans awaited news about the player’s collapse.
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