Thursday, 26 June 2003 - The
football world was shocked and saddened by the sudden death of Cameroon
football star Marc-Vivien Foé, 28.
Foé fell to the ground for
no apparent reason at 72 minutes of Cameroon's 1-0 victory over Columbia in
the Confederations Cup semifinal match in Lyon, France. He was taken off
the field unconscious, resuscitation efforts failed, and he was
declared dead of an apparent heart attack.
Immediately after the match, severely shaken players from
the Cameroon and Columbia teams, still in their uniforms, joined together in
prayer.
Midfielder Foé
was respected and admired throughout the
football world and was known for his high level of fitness. He made his
debut for the Cameroon national side in 1993, and appeared at the World Cup
final tournaments of 1994 and 2002, missing the 1998 tournament due to a broken
leg, which also scuttled his transfer to Manchester United. The Confederations Cup semifinal marked his 65th cap. He
scored eight goals in his 10-year national team career.
Two of his 65 national team appearances came against
England. He played in Cameroon's 2-0 loss at Wembley Stadium on 15 November
1997 and in the 2-2 draw in Kobe, Japan on 26 May 2002, just before the World Cup final
tournament began.
Between stints with French clubs RC Lens and Olympique
Lyon, Foé played for West Ham United in the 1999-2000 season, scoring one goal
in 38 league appearances. He played last season for Manchester City on loan from Olympique Lyon, scoring nine goals in 35 league
appearances. He was set to return to Lyon for the coming season,
although several clubs were reported to be trying to secure his services.
Dear Fédération Camerounaise de Football,
We send to the Cameroon federation and Cameroon national team fans our
condolences on the loss of Marc-Vivien Foé. He earned admiration and
respect around the world as a player and a man, and we will miss him. We
join you in your grief.
Sincerely,
Peter Young
England Football Online
27th June 2003
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PY
England
Football Online
