With the recent events surrounding Fabrice Muamba I thought it would be an appropriate time to remember one of our own who unfortunately didn’t make it; Marc-Vivien Foe.
Signed by the then West Ham manager Harry Redknapp in January of 1999 Foe went on to make 38 appearances for West Ham United, although he was originally destined for a grander
stage…it’s well known that Manchester United fancied Foe and were keen to do a deal with his then club Lens, unfortunately for Foe he broke his leg during a 1998 World Cup training camp and the plug was pulled on the deal his burgeoning talent deserved.
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Undeterred Foe got himself back to full fitness and made the switch to East London where he became an instant hit with the Upton Park faithful. A big strong, athletic and committed
midfielder who won the hearts of West Ham fans with his whole-hearted and imposing displays.
After one season in the Claret and Blue Foe went onto French giants Lyon before settling back in England with Manchester City.
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In June 2003 whilst playing for Cameroon in the Semi-Final of the Confederations Cup against Columbia in scenes that were almost identical to events at White Hart Lane on Saturday night, Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed and tragically died at the age of just 28. An
autopsy later revealed that Foe had lived with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy a hereditary disease which greatly increases risk of sudden death during exercise; the same condition it is believed Fabrice Muamba suffers from.
The sudden collapse of Muamba brought back terrible memories for anyone who happened to watch the 2003 Confederation’s Cup. I was only 17 at the time and the memories from France’s Semi-Final win over Turkey have never really left me; the French players with tears in their eye’s, pointing skywards each time they scored as a tribute to their fallen friend. The death of Foe at the time was only a couple hours before the second Semi-Final. With
hindsight it should’ve been postponed.
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The football world is breathing a huge sigh of relief as it looks as though Muamba is going to recover, but let us not forget our fallen brother Marc-Vivien Foe who wore the Claret and Blue with pride and distinction…but whom unfortunately didn’t make it.
