Cameroon Player Marc-Vivien Foe Dies 
By BARRY HATTON 
Associated Press Writer 

June 26, 2003, 4:23 PM EDT 

LYON, France -- Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed in the
heat Thursday during the Confederations Cup semifinal against Colombia
on Thursday and later died, FIFA said. 

The 28-year old player fell during the game, which was played in
temperatures in the high 80s. He was lapping into unconsciousness when
he was carried off the field on a stretcher to the sideline, where he
received treatment, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and oxygen. 

FIFA's medical officer, Alfred Mueller, said doctors tried to
resuscitate Foe for 45 minutes but were unsuccessful. 

"It is a very bad situation for international soccer, for FIFA, for the
players, for the player's family and for Cameroon soccer," Mueller said.


The cause of death wasn't immediately determined; an autopsy was
planned. 

Lyon has been in the midst of a heat wave, with temperatures soaring
into the 90s during recent afternoons. 

Foe played the first 59 minutes in Cameroon's opener against Brazil on
June 19, played 90 minutes two days later against Turkey, then sat out
Monday's game against the United States. 

Foe, who played for Manchester City, had eight goals in 64 appearances
for Cameroon's national team. At the World Cup last year, Foe played the
full 90 minutes in all three of Cameroon's games. In his career, Foe
played at Olympique Lyon, the stadium where he died, from 2000-02. 

Manchester City released a statement saying the club was "devastated" by
Foe's death. 

Foe "made an excellent contribution to our successful return to the
Premiership and was very highly regarded by his fellow players," the
statement said. "He will be sadly missed by his teammates -- not just as
a player but also as a friend." 

On Thursday, Cameroon beat Colombia 1-0 to advance to the final. 

At Stade de France, in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis where the other
semifinal was played, the crowd of about 40,000 held a moment of silence
before France's game with Turkey. 

An announcement of Foe's death was made over the public address system
in French, English and Turkish and the player's picture was displayed on
the video boards. 

With some of the players bowing their heads, about 40 seconds of silence
was observed. A few of the Turkish fans shouted as French fans tried to
quiet them. 

Several coaches, including the United States' Bruce Arena, have
criticized FIFA for the lack of off-days during the tournament, saying
it was unfair to force players to play so many times in such a short
span. 

FIFA went to a short scheduled this year in order to give players on
European clubs more of a summer break before the 2003-2004 European
seasons begin. 

Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press 

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