We have all been shaken to the core upon seeing Christian Eriksen drama unfold on the Parken Stadium pitch in Copenhagen. A battle for life in front of the eyes of millions of viewers brought human fragility in focus as everything else, including football, faded away. Thankfully, the Danish star survived and is now recovering at home. But not all players who collapse on the grass live long enough to contemplate life and its fragility—some peril. Like Marc-Vivien Foe did in 2003.Marc-Vivien Foe while with his first European club RC Lens in 1996 (©AFP)The then-28-year-old midfielder was playing for his country in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup as Cameroon represented CAF in the tournament. He was his usual dynamic self as The Indomitable Lions played great football and marched forward. Midway through their semi-final match against Colombia, coach Winfried Schafer wanted to substitute Foe because he looked slightly sluggish. The battler that he was, the player signalled back to the touchline that he’s OK to continue.Twenty minutes before the end of the match, Marc-Vivien dropped down to the floor and was stretched off. It didn’t seem too dramatic at the time. Cameroon goalkeeper Idriss Kameni later said that they all thought that Foe was substituted because fatigue had caught up with him. The play resumed, and Cameroon booked their place in the final. But shortly after the game, nobody was celebrating.Attempts were made to revive him in the stadium’s medical centre, with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and heart massage being applied for 45 minutes, but to no avail. Marc-Vivien was gone.Disaster in Lyon (©AFP)The news shocked the world. Nobody believed that such a strong man could have died like that. Everyone who loved football was stunned by the revelation that life could end that way – in a blink of an eye. A later autopsy concluded that death was caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a hereditary condition that increases the risk of sudden death during exercise. Foe’s widow Marie-Louise stated that her husband had been ill with gastric problems and dysentery before his final match. Still, he was adamant about playing in his adopted hometown of Lyon.Cameroon had the Confederations Cup final against France coming up, but nobody believed the match would go ahead. However, Foe’s teammates talked and decided that they wanted to play the game in memory of their fallen friend. Nobody cared about football that day. Everyone was paying tributes to the player who was once West Ham United’s record signing. Already a legend in Africa and in Lyon, Foe impressed supporters of Manchester City during his season-long loan at Main Road, the Citizens’ home until May 2003.Cameroon captain Rigobert Song holding Foe’s photo before the final against France in 2003 (©AFP)Journalist Chris Bailey, who covered Manchester City while Marc-Vivien was playing there on loan from Olympic Lyonnais, had a special relationship with the Cameroonian. And, as he said to Manchester Evening News, he still misses the larger-than-life Yaounde-born fellow.”He was a lot like Yaya Toure, energetic and all over the pitch – he could do everything on the pitch. He looked like he was the least likely candidate for a heart attack because he was supremely fit. He is fondly remembered by City fans 18 years later. Even though he was there for a short stint, he made a massive impact in the blue half of Manchester. He gave everything on a football pitch, and that’s what people loved about him. He was also very popular with the other lads – he was a smiler, bright and articulate, speaking a couple of languages. And he was tuned in to English humour.”Manchester City fans mourning the death of their beloved midfielder (©AFP)In a way, he saved the lives of Fabrice Muamba, the Bolton Wanderers player whose heart stopped during a match in 2012, and Christian Eriksen’s life. Football experts and researchers have laid a warning to football pitches worldwide about the use of emergency equipment. The bitter experience of Lyon urged FIFA to come up with new regulations and increase standards of treating players.Manchester City, the last club Marc-Vivien had played for, marked the anniversary by supplying 26 such defibrillators to local clubs. The Premier League champions donated the life-saving devices to grassroots sides in the East Manchester area, close to their Etihad Stadium. Portable defibrillators diagnose life-threatening cardiac arrests and treat them by firing a dose of electric current to the heart.18 years ago today, Marc-Vivien Foe passed away.Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/VeJZKpJY5S— West Ham United (@WestHam) June 26, 2021 It’s been 18 years since that dreadful day in Lyon. Foe’s legacy lives on in Cameroon, Lens, Lyon, London and Manchester. Through every Muamba, Eriksen and every football fan, Marc-Vivien Foe lives on.
