As the football world tried to come to terms with Thursday's harrowing events in Lyon, the tragic circumstances leading to Marc-Vivien Foe's death became clearer last night. Keir Radnedge and Daniel Taylor report.
It emerged that he had refused to be substituted only minutes before collapsing in Cameroon's match against Colombia.
The exact cause of Foe's death is expected to be revealed in the next few days, once the local coroner has finished the investigation.
An autopsy has already been carried out and a first analysis found nothing abnormal, but tests are continuing. Investigators say they have ruled out a stroke.
His manager, Winfried Schafer, and the team doctor had noticed Foe "was slowing down" during the game, but the 28-year-old insisted he was able to continue.
"It was a couple of minutes later when he collapsed," said Schafer. "Marco refused to come off - he said he felt okay and he wanted to stay on the pitch to help make sure we got to the final.
"Both myself and the doctor thought he seemed to have run out of energy and that he was slowing down. We sent him a message that we wanted to bring him off and send on a substitute, to give us some fresh legs, because we were coming under increasing pressure. But he said no."
The FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, confirmed that the Confederations Cup final between Cameroon and France would go ahead as planned tomorrow - with all the players wearing shirts with Foe's name emblazoned on the back. FIFA is considering renaming the tournament in honour of the former Manchester City and West Ham player.
The mayor of Lyon has proposed that the Stade Gerland should also be renamed, and City's manager Kevin Keegan announced that they would retire Foe's number 23 shirt as a mark of respect. West Ham and City are planning a benefit match.
Rigobert Song, the Cameroon captain, said: "We started as kids together, we shared so much and he was like a brother. He's a neighbour from my district of Yaounde, and now he's gone.
"At half-time his last words were 'Boys, even if it means dying on the pitch, we must win this semi-final'. And he was the victim. It's terrible."
Hundreds of fans gathered outside Maine Road, where Foe had spent the last season on loan, to leave their floral tributes entwined through the blue iron gates at the main entrance.
"This family will never forget your smile" read one message.
As well as Keegan and first-team coach Stuart Pearce, other tributes came from chairman John Wardle and the director Dennis Tueart.
Bernard Halford, the club's secretary, described it as "the biggest tragedy" in their history.
"There has been a wonderful optimism about the place, everyone has been looking forward to moving to the new stadium - but this has changed everything."
In Cameroon, where the president, Paul Biya, sent a message of condolences to Foe's family, there is talk of a national day of mourning for its 16 million people. Blatter visited the grieving Cameroon players yesterday to ask them not to pull out of the tournament and to play instead in Foe's honour.
"They all agreed, they even applauded - they want to play this final," he said.
"I asked: 'What would make Foe happy now? If he knew you were in the final, would he have applauded?' At that moment, everybody burst into applause. Even in sadness, positive feelings can be expressed."
The Cameroon players will be offered counselling before the match and there will be a minute's silence. "I have never lived through anything like it. Marco wasn't ill, how could it have happened?" said a visibly upset Schafer, adding that his players had "gone through torture", but would be in the right state of mind to play tomorrow.
"We will pull ourselves together, we will try to win in memory of Marco," added Song. "I think it's better to play because together we will make it a celebration of football. The final should be a celebration for Marco, our friend who has left us. And after that we will take his body back to Cameroon and the players will bury him."
City are considering arranging a tribute match for the player who scored their last-ever goal at Maine Road. Another idea is to rename part of their new stadium in his honour.
Guardian Service
