MARC-VIVIEN FOé

'Marc-Vivien Foé' (born May 1, 1975 in Nkolo, Centre Province, Cameroon; died June 26, 2003 in Lyon, France) was a Cameroonian midfield football player.

Contents

Biography

Death

Teams

References

External links

Biography

Foé began his professional career with Canon Yaoundé in the Cameroonian league. He made an appearance in the 1994 World Cup which prompted a move to France where he played for RC Lens in the French 1st division, winning the French league title in 1998. He was targeted by Manchester United but broke his leg before any deals were made. As a result, he missed the 1998 World Cup. He recovered and got to play in the English Premier League when he moved to West Ham United in 1999.
He moved back to France to play for Olympique Lyonnais in 2000. In that same year, he suffered from a bout of malaria but recovered and went on to win the French league Cup in 2001 and the French league title in 2002. Foé made a return to the English Premier League when he was loaned to Manchester City where he had a successful season, scoring the team's last goal at their Maine Road stadium in a 3-0 victory against Sunderland.

Death

On June 26, 2003, Foé collapsed near the centre circle during the FIFA Confederations Cup semifinal between his country and Colombia in the 71st minute, and despite immediate medical attention he died shortly afterward in hospital. The game was being played at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, the home stadium of Olympique Lyonnais. An autopsy later revealed an enlarged right ventricle, making cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation the likely cause of death. Doctors said the condition may have been congenital, and would have been virtually undetectable.

Foé's death caused a profound shock. Numerous tributes to the man's joyous personality and infectious humour were expressed in the media. Also, in a touching gesture, Thierry Henry and other French players pointed to the sky in tribute to Foé after Henry had scored France's winner in their Confederations Cup semi-final. ^[1] Many suggestions for ways to honour the life of Marc-Vivien Foé were made after his death: it was suggested that the Confederations Cup and the Stade Gerland could have been renamed after him, and former Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan announced that the club would no longer use the number 23 shirt Foé wore during his successful season there. There was also talk of renaming a stand at Manchester City's new ground, City of Manchester Stadium, in Foé's memory, although this never happened. However, there are references to Foé at the City of Manchester Stadium: there is a small memorial to him in the stadium's memorial garden, and on the walls of the players' tunnel are plaques paid for by supporters, with their names, dubbed the Walk of Pride. The first plaque on the wall is for Marc and reads "Marc Vivien Foé - 1975 - 2003". His first club (Racing Club de Lens) has given his name to an avenue near the Félix Bollaert Stadium.

Teams

★ RC Lens (1995 - 1999)

★ West Ham United F.C. (1999/2000)

★ Olympique Lyonnais (2000-2002)

★ Manchester City F.C. (2002/2003)

★ Cameroon national football team (1993-2003)

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★ Debut against Mexico

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★ Appearances: 64

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★ World Cup appearances: 1994, 2002

References

1. France 3-2 Turkey, ''BBC Sport''

External links

★ History, stats and pictures of Marc-Vivien FOE

★ Marc Vivien FOE : Actualité

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