Newcastle offer players speedy heart scans

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has told Gulf News that the club are offering their players immediate heart scans in the wake of Fabrice Muamba's on-pitch collapse this month. The football world has been in shock since Bolton Wanderers player Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest in an FA Cup tie against Tottenham on March 17. The 23-year-old is still in a serious condition in hospital after his heart reportedly stopped beating on its own for 78 minutes, although yesterday it was announced he had started to eat again and even got out of bed, making ‘encouraging progress' in his recovery. A joint statement from Bolton and the London Chest Hospital said Muamba was able to ‘sit out of bed for a short time, watch television and began to eat' over the weekend. The fact that such a fit young Barclays Premier League player could suffer such misfortune has brought the issue of heart screening of top players to the fore. And Pardew is keen for his players to undergo tests. ‘Very disturbed' "I didn't see the live footage but I saw the news pieces and obviously we were all very, very disturbed about that incident," said the St James' Park boss, who was speaking during a Barclays-sponsored interview. "For our part at Newcastle we've offered the players screening immediately if they feel they would like to do that. "On a professional level we've also agreed to screen all the players at the end of the season anyway. Those are the options for our players and I think, if there's any good to come out of Fabrice's situation, it is that we're all going to be a little more diligent about that condition. "Previously we did it when players sign and then every three years after that and I think that's a good screening process — but that doesn't mean you can't improve it. "I think Fifa bringing in some regulations is something they should consider." The Bolton-Tottenham FA Cup sixth round tie abandoned because of Muamba's collapse will be replayed at White Hart Lane tonight (UAE 10.30pm kick-off).