Bolton Wanderers to play Blackburn Rovers on Saturday on request of Fabrice Muamba's family

By Dean Wilkins

Fabrice Muamba’s father is insisting that Bolton Wanderers play against Blackburn Rovers this Saturday, seven days after his son suffered an on-pitch cardiac arrest.

The Premier League game against will go ahead as scheduled, kicking off at 1500 GMT.

The 23-year-old remains in intensive care at London Chest Hospital after collapsing during the FA Cup tie against Tottenham on Saturday, and has shown signs of improving after a Bolton doctor who treated him said he was ‘dead’ for 78 minutes.

Owen Coyle said: "We spoke together with the players as a group this morning and I talked with Fabrice's family last night.

"Fabrice's father Marcel and his fiancee Shauna were keen that we fulfil our fixtures. Once the players knew this, there was no doubt in our minds that we would play the matches."

Bolton will replay their FA Cup quarter-final tie against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, 27 March at 1930.

It is too early to predict whether Muamba will play football again and Dr Jonathan Tobin, Bolton’s club medic, said the 23-year-old's recovery so far was amazing.

Dr Tobin said: "It was 48 minutes when he collapsed to reaching hospital and a further 30 minutes after that. He was, in effect, dead at that time."

He added: "We were fearing the worse and didn't think we would get the recovery we had. It's incredible."

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