Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe, 28, died after collapsing in the middle of the field during the Lions' game against Colombia in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup in Lyons, France.
Foe was alive when he was taken off the field on a stretcher late in the game. He received treatment, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and oxygen, on the sidelines but died at the medical center at the Gerland Stadium, where he played two seasons for French club Lyon. No cause of death was given.
The game, played in temperatures reaching the low 90s, was halted in the 71st minute when Foe collapsed. Play continued after he was taken off the field, and Cameroon won, 1-0.
Foe was one of the leaders of the Lions, who won back-to-back African Nations Cup titles. He played in the 1994 World Cup at the age of 19, missed the 1998 World Cup in France because of a broken leg but returned to play at the 2002 finals.
He began his career at Cameroonian club Canon Yaounde and moved to France to play for Lens in 1994. His broken leg put the end to speculation that he might join English club Manchester United. He first moved to England in 1999 to play for West Ham. He returned to France a year later to play for Lyon. He was loaned to Manchester City last summer.