Tragic tournament

Foe's memory overshadows Confederations Cup

PARIS (Reuters) -- Haunting images of Cameroon and France players gathered round a picture of the late Marc-Vivien Foe brought the Confederations Cup tournament to an emotional end Sunday.

The Cameroon midfielder's death dwarfed what little sporting significance FIFA's tournament enjoyed before it started, let alone when it ended with France's 1-0 victory in the final after a scrappy golden goal in extra time from Thierry Henry.

Cameroon players are due to gather again for a church mass for their 28-year-old teammate this Thursday in Lyon, the central French city where the former Olympique Lyon player's wife and family live.

More important, though, are the results expected this week of an autopsy into Foe's death last Thursday in the first aid unit of the Stade Gerland where he once played his club football.

The reasons behind his sudden collapse on the pitch and subsequent cardiac arrest are awaited by a far wider audience than the player's immediate family and friends.

For the world of international football, Foe's death has inevitably added a dramatically poignant edge to the debate over the need for this tournament in the first place.

That debate had begun long before the eight-nation competition kicked off on June 18 with Japan's hopelessly one-sided 3-0 win over New Zealand and is destined to become more acrimonious.

Missing players

With plenty of critics, and few if any passionate supporters, the Confederations Cup showed why it could comfortably sink without trace in today's ocean of football coverage.

The only problem is, FIFA has contractual TV obligations to stage at least two more tournaments over the next four years.

Clashing with the end of the Spanish season, the tournament was quite simply denied the world's best players.

A tournament without Real Madrid stars like Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, and from next season David Beckham, is destined to arouse only modest interest at best.

The absence of Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos's Brazil teammates Rivaldo and Cafu left only Ronaldinho and Emerson as eye-catching representatives of the world champion.

Though Emerson, who missed last year's World Cup through injury, played his part in midfield, Ronaldinho blew hot and cold in his playmaking role and ultimately failed to make an impact.

Its makeshift team's exit at the group stage was a major blow to the tournament, while Asia's competitive interest ended when Japan suffered an identical fate.

Most of the teams fielded in Paris, Lyon and St Etienne were a mixture of new and established players, with the strength of that mix ultimately deciding the winner.

French favorite

France's victory had been expected even before a ball was kicked simply because coach Jacques Santini had fielded the strongest side available to him.

Though his midfield had to be largely re-shaped in the absence of Zidane, Claude Makelele and Patrick Vieira, his first-choice back five of keeper Fabien Barthez and defenders Lilian Thuram, Marcel Desailly, William Gallas and Bixente Lizarazu were all available.

Even more importantly, so was Henry.

Ably supported by his Arsenal teammates Robert Pires and Sylvain Wiltord, Henry collected the awards of top scorer and best player after his fourth goal of the tournament sealed the final.

Santini, earning his first trophy after replacing Roger Lemerre last year, was naturally satisfied with the outcome.

France's debacle at the 2002 World Cup, a humiliating group phase exit without scoring a single goal, had brusquely interrupted the victory march of a team who had won the 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000 and the 2001 Confederations Cup.

The French public were demanding damages to this affront to national pride and Santini provided a perfectly respectable downpayment.

He also gained the valuable knowledge that in Olivier Dacourt and Benoit Pedretti, he has two central midfielders who achieve at international level.

Santini was not the only coach, though, who will go home from the tournament a satisfied man.

Turkey's Senol Gunes, using a side drawing on the under-21s, showed his country's strength in depth and discovered an international striker for the future in Tuncay Sanli, scorer of three goals, including a winner on his senior debut in its 2-1 victory over the United States.

Colombia, superbly led by its gifted, goalscoring No. 10 Giovanni Hernandez, punched above its weight by reaching the semifinals and losing narrowly 1-0 to Cameroon.

The African champion, with its neat ball skills and outstanding physical presence, was a worthy finalist and can consider itself unlucky to have failed in its mission to win the Cup for Foe.

In the end, the Indomitable Lions settled for an emotional, yet dignified, finish to the tournament at the Stade de France, its feelings summed up by one of the banners in the crowd.

"A Lion never dies, he sleeps."

 

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