Thursday, June 26, 2003

Cameroon's Foe dies after semi-final

LYON, France, June 26 (Reuters) - Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe died o
n Thursday after his country's Confederations Cup semi-final against Colombi
a.

FIFA announced the news minutes after the match.

Foe, who spent last season on loan at English club Manchester City from Fren
ch club Olympique Lyon, was carried off on a stretcher after collapsing 15 m
inutes from the end of the match, won 1-0 by Cameroon.

A FIFA spokesman said that his heart stopped after he was taken from the pit
ch. Medical staff tried for 45 minutes to restart his heart, without success
.

"This is a very sad day for football for FIFA and for the player's family, t
his is all we can say at the moment," a FIFA spokesman said.

"Given this situation neither coach Winfried Schaefer of Cameroon or Colombi
a's Francisco Maturana will be speaking to the media.".

There will be an autopsy to determine the circumstances of his death.

Foe, 28, played more than 60 games for Cameroon and formerly played for West
Ham United and RC Lens.
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