Henry leads tributes to Foe

Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has dedicated his goal in France’s 3-2 Confederations Cup win over Turkey to Marc Vivien Foe.

Foe had died only hours earlier after collapsing during Cameroon’s 1-0 victory over Colombia in the tournament’s other semi-final.

Henry said: “Everyone is shocked, I played against him a few times in France and in England. The first goal was for him.”

The goal was celebrated with all the players pointing to the sky in a tribute to Foe.

France will now play Cameroon in the final after FIFA president Sepp Blatter confirmed the match will still go ahead at the African side’s request.

“Marco was like big brother, he was a rock, an extraordinary guy,” said France keeper Gregory Coupet, a former team-mate of Foe at Lyon.

“We had to go onto the pitch last night, life goes on. As far as the final is concerned I guess the Cameroon team will have trouble to concentrate but they will also fight very hard to pay tribute to him.”

Outgoing Leeds midfielder Olivier Dacourt added: “It was very hard to play that match, we almost all knew him.

“Before the match when we found out there was no words, just sad feelings and cries, and then we tried to do our best on the pitch.”

Chelsea defender William Gallas revealed: “During the match we were thinking about him all the time.

“Some of the France players saw on TV when he fell on the ground. It is scary because it can happen to anyone.”

French coach Jacques Santini admitted it was tough for his side to go out and play after hearing the news of Foe’s death.

He said: “When we found out about this news we tried to overcome it, we all experienced more than a very strong emotion.

“The sadness was even worse amongst Lyon players and myself.

“The 23 players behaved like true men. Some of them really had to be strong to start this match.”

“When I left Clairefontaine (training base) in the bus I was told about Cameroon’s goal and I had a huge thought for Marco, hoping that we would meet him in the final on Sunday.

“I think about his wife and his family and his club Manchester City.

“I am very distressed, I cannot find the words to describe our sadness. Death has hit someone we knew and someone we liked.”

Santini explained how he was informed of the tragedy as the players prepared out on the pitch before the start of the match.

“I was very much disturbed in the warm-up before the match,” he added.

“Then I saw some of his club-mates come back to the changing room in tears, we even asked Greg (Coupet) and Sidney (Govou) if they wanted to go ahead with the match.”

Lyon and France team doctor Jean Marcel Serret was shocked by the news, saying Foe was “a physical monster”.

“I knew Marc very well. It struck him as he was making a huge effort. It took his life, it’s hard to understand and accept. He was a very nice guy, fully fit, a physical monster,” he said.

“According to my latest information it was an aneurysm, which has absolutely nothing to do with football. It could have happened anywhere else.

“An autopsy will be carried out to determine the exact causes of his death.”