2003-06-28 00:21:30

Yesterday was a sad day for football, as Marc Vivien Foe collapsed and died in the middle of the Confederations Cup semi-final between Cameroon and Colombia. He keeled over in the 72nd minute and never regained consciousness, despite the efforts of medical staff to revive him for 45 minutes. Cameroon won the match and there is a dilemma over whether the final, between France and Cameroon will be played. Needless to say the French and Turkish players, who received news of Foe’s death before the start of their own match, were very emotional. Some of them, especially a few of the French, found it hard to play, breaking up in tears during the national anthems, as they were former club teammates of Foe. Foe was in the prime of his football career. He was on loan to Manchester City from Lyon, which is, coincidentally, the city in which he died. He had previously played for Lens and West Ham. The cause of his death is unknown, but is speculated to have been caused by an aneurysm or a heart attack. Foe was 28 and in the prime of his football career.