White Hart Lane united in shock as tears are shed for Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba Reo-Coker was one of the first onto the scene. The entire Bolton bench was on its feet in an instant. On Webb's signal, Bolton physio Andy Mitchell was the first man on the pitch, closely followed by pitch-side medical staff and paramedics bearing stretchers. It was hard to tell exactly what was going on from the side of the pitch. But on at least four occasions, the up-and-down motion of a paramedic pumping his hands suggested that Muamba was being given CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This is a technique that is used to resuscitate patients with no breathing or an unusual breathing pattern. An oxygen mask was placed over Muamba's mouth and, according to reports, a heart defibrillator was also used. For several minutes White Hart Lane was cloaked in a reverential hush, the air thick with anxiety and shock. Then, from the south-west corner of the ground where between 650 and 700 Bolton fans were huddled, came a chant of "Fabrice Muamba." The Tottenham fans responded with warm applause. It was about all anybody could do at a time like this. Muamba was treated on the pitch for around seven minutes. During that time, around 20 or 30 people were standing around him. Bolton manager Owen Coyle walked onto the pitch to look at Muamba. Bolton's Martin Petrov trudged to the touchline, his hands on his head, in visible distress. Darren Pratley also looked visibly anguished. The Tottenham players withdrew towards their own bench, where manager Harry Redknapp was also standing, but they also looked deeply stunned. Rafael van der Vaart bore a blank, numb expression. Striker Jermain Defoe was in tears and was being consoled by William Gallas. A few yards from them, a trolley was being erected, preparing to wheel Muamba down the tunnel and into a waiting ambulance. With the White Hart Lane clock showing 48 minutes and the score still at 1-1, Muamba was eventually lifted onto an orange stretched and jogged off the pitch by paramedics to loud applause from all four corners of the ground. There was still no visible sign of movement from the player himself. A reporter for ESPN, who were broadcasting this game, said that Muamba was not breathing when the player was carried past him in the tunnel. Webb then spent around a minute consulting with both managers and Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker. After the discussion, he blew on his whistle and signalled for both teams to leave the field, even though there were still around four minutes of time to be played in the first half. Shortly after 6.30pm, around 20 minutes after Muamba's collapse, a message was relayed on the public announcement system informing that the game had been abandoned. Again, warm applause rang out around the stadium, and spectators began filing out of the stands. Muamba, who is due to turn 24 in three weeks, is one of the few African-born footballers to have played for England at age group level. Born in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), he grew up during the country's bloody civil war, living in a flat in the capital Kinshasa. In 1994, his father Marcel, a political dissident who fled the country and claimed asylum in Britain. It was 1999 before the rest of his family, including Fabrice, could join him. Aged 11, Muamba was unable to speak a word of English but quickly excelled at football at Kelmscott School in Walthamstow - around three miles up the road from Spurs. Muamba performed well at his studies - in 2008 he began a maths degree at the Open University - but even better on the pitch. He signed for Arsenal as a trainee, but after joining Birmingham on a successful season-long loan in 2006, moved to St Andrews in order to secure guaranteed first-team football. In 2008, after Birmingham's relegation from the Premier League, he was signed by Bolton for £5 million on a four-year contract. Over his four years at Bolton, he has gained a reputation as a tenacious tackler, a tireless runner; and above all. a decent bloke.