MANCINI CALLS FOR MORE SCREENINGS

Manchester city manager Roberto Mancini has said that there should be more screenings to detect heart conditions within players. His statement comes after many tributes to Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who collapsed on the field during a recent match between them and Tottenham in the FA Cup.

Fabrice Muamba is thought to have a genetic heart condition, which has been the cause of many player’s deaths over the last couple of years. There has been no proper screening test done in order to identify this problem. As a result, Roberto Mancini says that players should be scanned and screened for this heart defect, which may cause potential problems in the future.

Players Association chief executive Gordon Taylor recently said that they have spent more than £ 350,000 in the last 20 years just in doing the heart screening tests. However, they have not proven to be sufficient following the collapse of Fabrice Muamba. The Bolton midfielder is thought to be doing extremely well after being in critical condition for a number of days. He has been making slow recovery, but it is thought that he may not play football again. New reports have said that Muamba was unconscious for up to 78 min before he was brought back to life.

“When I saw our medical [procedures] two years ago, I was worried. I said we need to do them better. We need to improve the medical side for the players. We need to screen the players often, maybe two times a year, and they have to be more accurate. What happened to Muamba at Tottenham can happen and that should be impossible,” Mancini said regarding the need for proper screening tests. Mancini also said that the Premier league should be thanked for the good medical facilities provided at the grounds.