Red Issue: Did Manchester United Fanzine's Fabrice Muamba Cover Cross The Line?

Red Issue: Did Manchester United Fanzine's Fabrice Muamba Cover Cross The Line?

The latest issue of the Manchester United fanzine Red Issue is under fire for apparently mocking the outpouring of support for Fabrice Muamba following his near-fatal collapse last week.

Scroll down for the cover in full

Under the headline Grief Junkies Run Riot, it features the harrowing scene after he slumped to the ground as concerned teammates gathered around him.

Private Eye-style speech bubbles asking, "Is he dead?", "I've tweeted my condolences just in case" and "Good mourning!" hover above.

Twitter commentators are already up in arms about the Red Issue cover, branding it "poor taste" and "sickening".

Red Issue has responded via the same medium with: "It's not mocking Muamba you simpleton" and labelling the complainers as "gobsh*tes".

The 23-year-old player remains in a "serious but stable" condition at the London Chest Hospital, where he was admitted last Saturday after suffering a cardiac arrest during his club's FA Cup quarter-final with Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

At the Reebok Stadium, his team-mates took on Blackburn Rovers in a local derby as Wanderers resumed their Premier League campaign.

Players from both sides completed their warm-up with T-shirts emblazoned with "Muamba 6" in tribute to the midfielder as fans chanted his name.

Blackburn Rovers' players wear Muamba on the backs of their shirts

Shortly before kick-off a video was shown on the big screen featuring images of support that have been received during the week.

Today doctors said Muamba was making "encouraging progress" in his recovery and had been able to "sit out of bed" and watch television.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle revealed that Muamba watched his team-mates' 2-1 victory over Blackburn on Match Of The Day yesterday morning - but fell asleep when the score was 2-0.

Coyle also confirmed that a small delegation of Bolton players will visit Muamba in hospital ahead of tomorrow's rearranged FA Cup quarter-final at Tottenham.

Is it all a bit of harmless banter or has Red Issue crossed line?

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