LYON, France, 8 July 2003 — Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe died of a heart problem when he collapsed during a Confederations Cup semifinal last month and no stimulants were found in his body, an autopsy showed yesterday.
The prosecutor in Lyon, the southern French city where 28-year-old Foe was carried off the pitch during Cameroon’s 1-0 victory against Colombia on June 26, ruled out drugs or foul play and said he had found nothing abnormal. “The death is from natural causes. No stimulant substances were found. The death was of cardiac origin,” public prosecutor Xavier Richaud said, announcing the autopsy result.
“It is hypertrophic cardio myopathy. It is the hyper development of the left ventricle, which was noticed during the first autopsy.
“I do not know that doctors knew he had heart problems,” he added. An initial autopsy had failed to determine the exact cause of Foe’s death. Toxicology tests carried out as part of the autopsy had been handed to an expert in Geneva for analysis before a definitive conclusion was reached.
“As far as blood and urine are concerned, the negative toxicology shows that he did not taking any stimulants... in the 72 hours before his death. An analysis of his hair shows that he did not take stimulants before (that time) or regularly,” Richaud said.
Foe was due to be buried with full official honors, following a mass at Cameroon capital Yaounde’s cathedral. The burial will take place at the player’s home.
