| Grace Under Pressure |
30 June 2003
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Cameroon Plays On Despite Midfielder's Death
A young man, Marc-Vivien Foe, died during the Confederations Cup soccer championship in France last week, and his teammates' response is an inspiration. Mr. Foe was a midfielder for the Cameroon national team, arguably the strongest side in Africa, and his collapse in the 73rd minute of the semi-final has put a cloud of mourning over this mini-World Cup. The final will be played -- at the insistence of the Cameroon team.
Having played for West Ham and Manchester City in England, Lyon in France and Canon Yaounde in Cameroon, the 28-year-old was well known throughout the soccer fraternity as a man with talent and passion for the game. However, he played with a relaxed attitude that he himself said was his true talent; "My strength is my calmness. I believe you are at your best when you are discrete and calm."
Out of respect, the international soccer governing body, FIFA, has decided not to hold the pre- and post-game entertainment, and that is probably right. However, those who wanted to cancel the match missed the point. Fortunately, not one of those is found on the Cameroon Lions' squad.
Seff Blatter, the head of FIFA, asked the Lions what Foe would have thought upon knowing they were in the final. Blatter asked, "What would make Foe happy now - if he knew that you were in the final, would he have applauded?" The entire squad began to clap and cheer.
Mr. Foe was a great many things, a son, a friend, a devout Catholic, but to the soccer world, he was a player of the highest caliber. The game was a great part of his brief life. While it may be too much to name the Confederations trophy after him (as has been proposed), playing the final in his memory is the right thing to do. One feels sorry for France who will have to play with the usual 11 men, while Cameroon will have a twelfth player -- Mr. Foe.
Editors Note: Since this was written, France defeated Cameroon 1-0 in extra time.