MARK FISH: I stopped breathing. My daughter saw angels around me. But I'm fine now. And I'll be at Manchester United legends game

On the road to recovery: Fish and me

South African football legend Mark Fish is “doing great” in hospital in Vereeniging, South Africa today after suffering from chest pains on Saturday evening.

Fish had difficulty breathing at his home on the banks of the Vaal River, complaining of chronic back pains. He was rushed to hospital by his partner Salome van Rensburg and a friend.

This morning  the father of four underwent tests and emerged “feeling fine” with Salome saying: “He’s so chilled it’s shocking!”

Speaking after his procedure this morning Fish told me: “I’ve been having problems with my back for some time. On Saturday, my lips went blue, my body went white. I was struggling to breathe. Salome and her friend Nadia, 10kg lighter than me, had to take me to the hospital. You can imagine!

“On the way I stopped breathing. I don’t remember any of that. My daughter said there were angels around me, then she said: "You'll be fine daddy".

“I’ve had an angiogram and some other tests, tubes and dye and things like that. The doctors are saying my heart’s fine. They said I've got fantastic lungs, but told me to stop smoking. I bet they’ll say the same to you! They can’t find anything wrong, nothing.

“But look, this was a warning. I haven’t been doing the right things. I have to change my life-style. I started swimming but nothing hectic. Used to gym three times a week, been doing none of that. You know what’s it been like, I’ve been fixated on business… and stress. That isn’t good for any of us.

Happier times: on air with Mark Fish, left

“But I’m feeling great now. I’ll show my face at the Orlando Pirates versus Manchester United legends game on Saturday out of respect to Senzo Meyiwa but I won’t be playing.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be back on my feet in no time.”

Fish, 40, starred in both Bafana Bafana’s only AFCON triumph and Orlando Pirates’ only African Champions League victory in the 1990s before taking his skills as a towering central defender to Europe.

Most recently the former Lazio, Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic star became a household name for his role as a captain opposite Springbok rugby skipper Corne Krige in the South African reality show “Survivor”.

Though listed on the official facebook page as one of the players, he will not be able to play for the Pirates Legends on Saturday against Paul Scholes and company but is eager to "show my face" if he gets the all-clear from medical experts.

Stricken Fabrice Muamba showing "small signs of improvement"

BOLTON'S Fabrice Muamba remains in hospital "but is showing small signs of improvement" after collapsing against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Saturday - and his Wanderers team-mates will decide over the next 48 hours whether to continue their FA Cup journey without him.

According to the club, Muamba is still "critically ill in intensive care"  at the London Chest Hospital in Bethnal Green after suffering what appeared to be a massive heart attack.

But his heart is now beating without the help of medication and he is also moving his arms and his legs. There are unconfirmed reports that he spoke to a friend from his hospital bed tonight.

The statement added that Muamba's long-term prognosis remains unclear and he will continue to be closely monitored. A statement release tonight at 7pm, 9pm South African time, said: "Fabrice Muamba is able to breathe without a ventilator, he has been able to recognise family members & respond to questions."

One source suggested his heart "had stopped four times" and that it took two hours to get the organ beating once more.

With the entire footballing world offering their sympathy, tomorrow's Premier League clash against Aston Villa is already postponed. Boss Owen Coyle said: "The players wouldn't be in any fit state to play. Football pales into insignificance at this time."

His captain Kevin Davies said: "Patrice is a natural athlete, box to box. There are not many stronger than him in the Premier League. He's a great lad. Hopefully, in true Bolton style, he will fight against the odds and come through."

Saturday’s match against Blackburn at the Reebok could be called off too. Rovers manager Steve Kean told the BBC: "We hope he makes a full recovery but, if they need a little bit more time and the game doesn't go ahead, we would respect that from Bolton's point of view.”

According to The Sun this morning, Bolton are considering withdrawing for the FA Cup altogether, even though a semi-final appearance – against Chelsea, if they were to beat Spurs in a replay - would be a rarity for the Lancashire club. Reports suggest the players are divided. Some want to play and win as a tribute to Muamba while others simply don’t want to return to the scene of his heart-rending collapse.

World Cup final referee Howard Webb reacted swiftly to the incident on Saturday, calling the game off after 41 minutes as a crowd of medics and physios attempted for six minutes to resuscitate the midfielder capped 33 times by England’s Under 21 boss Stuart Pearce.

Spurs star Rafael van der Vaart, visibly distressed and close to tears when Muamba fell to the floor, tweeted: "Terrible what happened to Fabrice during the game. We're all praying for him.

 "He just fell on the ground and it look like he died. They got him back but then he faded away again.... it was very quiet in the dressing room afterwards"

Injured Bolton team-mate Stuart Holden added: "Praying for you Fab. Waiting anxiously for updates. Fab is a fighter!"

At the age of just 23, the man born in Kinshasa is not the first to collapse on the field of play. Over 30 have died since 2003 when Cameroon’s Marc Vivien Foe collapsed in France and died from what was later diagnosed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Today a new hero emerged when I became apparent that a Dr Andrew Deaner – a Spurs fans watching in the stands - ran on to the pitch and began treating Muamba with the medical staff at Spurs. Dr Deaner is a consultant cardiologist at the London Chest Hospital.

Muamba was rushed to the hospital with his coach Coyle and captain Davies alongside him in the ambulance. His condition is now listed as stable, though onlookers say “he was not breathing”. One said: "He didn't even put his hands out when he fell".

Muamba went down with “nobody near him” four minutes before half-time with the score locked at 1-1. A defibrilitor was used in an attempt to revive Muamba on the field, while one medic tried to administer mouth-to-mouth.

Fans from both sides stood and chanted Muamba’s name as he was carried off on a stretcher, still having his chest pumped, and Twitter was immediately awash with well-wishers, from Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand to former team-mate Jack Wilshere.

Spurs fan Terry Hunt, who witnessed the incident, said: “Muamba just collapsed. When he went down all the players immediately realised it was a serious problem. There was an eery silence around the ground. The medics did all they possibly could to bring him around.

“There was no appetite to continue the game. The medical teams were superb. We just hope the guy pulls through. It’s such a tragedy for one so young. I feel for his family. For Bolton Wanderers.

“On the train going home, everyone just wanted to know how he was doing.”

Muamba came to England as an 11-year-old after his father left what was then Zaire as a refugee after an uncle had been murdered. He was spotted by Arsene Wenger within a year and spent four years with Liam Brady in the Arsenal academy.

He was a bright lad too, gaining three A levels at Kelmscott School in north London despite being unable to speak English when he arrived in the country. Though he didn't break in to the Arsenal first team, he successfully moved to Birmingham City and then Bolton after he gained citizenship. He has played for England at every level from Under 16 to Under 21 with a total of 57 caps at all levels.

England international Jack Wilshere, who played on loan with Muamba at Bolton, tweeted: "Hope Muamba is okay. Thoughts with him."

Middlesbrough defender Justin Hoyte, who played in the Arsenal youth team with Muamba, said: "I seriously hope my best friend in football is OK. Stay strong bro please please stay strong. God is with you, remember that."

Shauna Muganda, 27, mother of Fabrice's three-year-old son Joshua, is at his bedside with parents Marcel and Gertude and told The Sun this morning: "God is in control."

Tiger Woods: It happened something like this

SO the truth about Tiger Woods' accident in Florida yesterday morning at 2.25am is beginning to leak out. It wasn't just a simple car crash as anyone with a nose for these things suspected all along.

And yes, it did involve the allegations surrounding Rachel Uchitel, a New York-based events planner who follows the world's No1 golfer around the world.

According to most sources this morning, Tiger's Swedish supermodel wife Elin Nordegren, 29, reacted to National Enquirer pictures leaked on the internet, showing Uchitel entering a hotel in Melbourne where Tiger was staying when he played in Australia this month.

Tiger may be the world's first sporting billionaire but no marriage can survive such pressure. Elin, mother of his two children, lashed out. Tiger leapt into his Cadillac SUV and crashed into the now-infamous fire hydrant and tree.

Some reports suggest Elin then helped him out of the car by smashing the rear windscreen with a golf club. Others are more sceptical, suggesting her actions caused the crash.

Suspicions over the crash were first raised when it emerged that a total news blackout had surrounded the incident for 12 hours. There were also suggestions Tiger had been admitted to hospital under an assumed name.

Details remain sketchy but what is clear is that, after the crash, Tiger was unconscious for six minutes and has sustained some kind of facial injuries, from the accident or from his wife, or a combination of both.

Gary Bruhn, mayor of Windermere, just outside Orlando, where Tiger lives, said: "There were facial lacerations and he was treated. This was an accident. Nothing special."

But Windermere Police Chief Daniel Saylor said Elin was standing over Tiger in the street as shocked neighbours gathered. One local brought him a pillow and a blanket.

Police arrived to find the champion semi-conscious. Saylor said: "He had lacerations to his upper and lower lip, and a little bit of blood in his mouth. They asked his wife what happened. She said the car hit a fire hydrant then a tree.

"When he woke up, he tried to get up and lost consciousness. Ms Nordegren was very distraught, very upset."

Tiger's agents IMG and the hospital both moved to calm the growing speculation, suggesting he was "fine" and in "good condition" but until Tiger himself talks - and shows the world his injuries - the speculation will continue.

What is clear is that drink was not involved. But Tiger could face a charge for not wearing a seat-belt. Hopefully sensible forces in Orange County will choose to overlook that minor offence on a night when Tiger's life, for once, veered wildly off the fairway.

And the worst drive of his life will soon become consigned to history.

But Ms Uchitel, 34, whose husband died in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre, will not be able to slip quietly out of the limelight.

The New York Daily News said today she sent them a message from her Facebook page that read: "There is NO relationship with Tiger. I resent my name being slung thru the mud."

But she told the New York Post: "God forbid Tiger got into a car wreck because of this false report of him having an affair."

Tiger is currently holed up at home at when officers from the Florida Highway Patrol tried to interview him, they were turned away.

What is clear is that this is no sports story. Just a near-tragic tale of ordinary life, which can leave even the super-rich lying injured in the road.

Perhaps it's time to return to England's thrashing at the hands of South Africa in Cape Town yesterday, or Arsenal's crucial showdown against Chelsea tomorrow. It feels more comfortable.